BANGALORE: In a historic achievement for India's space exploration endeavors, Chandrayaan 3, the nation's lunar mission, marked a triumphant soft landing on the Moon's southern pole on August 23, 2023, at 6:04 pm. This remarkable feat has elevated India to the select group of countries capable of lunar landings, placing it alongside the United States, Russia, and China.

Just 14 days from today, on September 22, the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover are anticipated to stir to life once more with the lunar sunrise, continuing their exploration.

The odyssey of Chandrayaan 3 embarked on July 14, 2023, with a launch at 2:35 pm from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Shri Hari Kota, Andhra Pradesh. The culmination of this mission was the skillful soft landing achieved by the Vikram Lander, positioning it roughly 600 kilometers from the Moon's southern pole.

The chronology of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, as documented on ISRO's official website and Twitter page, unfolds as follows:

July 14, 2023: Launch of Chandrayaan-3
July 15, 2023: First Earth-bound Maneuver
July 17, 2023: Second Earth-bound Maneuver
July 18, 2023: Third Earth-bound Maneuver
July 20, 2023: Fourth Earth-bound Maneuver
July 25, 2023: Fifth Earth-bound Maneuver
July 31/August 1, 2023: Trans-lunar Injection
August 5, 2023: Lunar Orbit Insertion / First Lunar Bound Maneuver
August 6, 2023: Second Lunar-Bound Maneuver
August 9, 2023: Third Lunar-Bound Maneuver
August 14, 2023: Fourth Lunar-Bound Maneuver
August 16, 2023: Fifth Lunar-Bound Maneuver
August 18, 2023: First Lander Deorbit Maneuver
August 19, 2023: Second Lander Deorbit Maneuver
August 23, 2023: Vikram Rover Landing
August 24, 2023: Pragyan Rover Deployment
September 2, 2023: Pragyan Rover Enters Sleep Mode
September 3, 2023: Vikram Lander Executes Successful 'Hop' and Soft Landing
September 4, 2023: Vikram Rover Enters Sleep Mode
September 22, 2023 (tentatively): Pragyan and Vikram Awaken Anew

On September 3, 2023, the Vikram lander impressively completed a hop experiment, surpassing its objectives. ISRO communicated this milestone through its official Twitter account. During the hop, the Vikram lander elevated itself by approximately 40 cm and safely descended roughly 30-40 cm away from its initial position. All rover systems performed flawlessly, including the deployment of the ramp, ChaSTE, and ILSA.

NASA's LRO Captures Chandrayaan-3 Landing Site Image at Moon's South Pole

NASA Orbiter's Stunning Image Reveals Chandrayaan-3's Vikram Lander on the Moon

Lunar Mission Updates: ISRO Places Vikram Lander in Sleep Mode