ISRO is bidding to make a successful soft landing on the moon, which will make India the fourth country in the world to achieve the feat after the United States, Russia and China.
"Prepare for landing! The final deboosting operation of Chandrayaan 3 successfully reduces the Lander Module orbit to 25 km x 134 km. Countdown begins as the destination moon draws just within reach," Singh said on X (formerly Twitter).
The second and final deboosting operation of Chandrayaan-3 was carried out successfully, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said on the early hours of Sunday.
Dr Apathukatha Sivathanu Pillai, former Chief Controller (R&D) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), on Saturday expressed confidence in the mission's success and said that the mission will be successful.
Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander underwent a crucial deboosting manoeuvre and descended to a slightly lower orbit on Friday, after successfully getting separated from the propulsion module the day before.
Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander is about to undergo a crucial deboosting manoeuvre and descend to a slightly lower orbit on Friday, after successfully getting separated from the propulsion module the day before.
Deboosting is the process of slowing down to position itself in an orbit where the orbit's closest point to the Moon (Perilune) is 30 km and the farthest point (the Apolune) is 100 km.
The former ISRO scientist and Padma Shri awardee said that the Vikram lander now has to take its own action and further it has to separate after which the major event comes.
India's Chandrayaan-3 mission marked another giant leap in its lunar quest as the 'Vikram' lander module of the spacecraft successfully separated from the propulsion module on Thursday.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission has charted a course for the separation of the Lander Module from the Propulsion Module, scheduled to take place on August 17, 2023.
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, which was launched on GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle successfully from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota on July 14, is all set to land on the surface of the moon on August 23.