ISRO, on Wednesday took the Chandrayaan-2 landing module — comprising lander Vikram and rover Pragyan — closer to Moon, putting it in a 35kmX101km Orbit. With this manoeuvre, the required orbit for Vikram (with Pragyan inside) to commence its descent towards the surface of Moon is achieved

BANGALORE: ISRO, on Wednesday (September 4) took the Chandrayaan-2 landing module — comprising lander Vikram and rover Pragyan — closer to Moon, putting it in a 35 km X 101 km Orbit.

"The second de-orbiting manoeuvre for Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft was performed successfully beginning at 3.42 am as planned, using the on-board propulsion system. The duration of the manoeuvre was 9 seconds," ISRO said.

With this manoeuvre, the required orbit for Vikram (with Pragyan inside) to commence its descent towards the surface of Moon is achieved.

Vikram is scheduled to powered descent between 1 am and 2 am on September 07, which is then followed by touch down of Lander between 1.30 am and 2.30 am.

On Tuesday (September 3), operating independently for the first time since Chandrayaan-2 was launched on July 22, the landing module underwent its first manoeuvre around Moon on Tuesday.

ISRO successfully completed the first de-orbiting manoeuvre of the landing module at 8.50 am Tuesday (September 3), using for the first time, the propulsion systems on Vikram. All these days all operations were carried out by systems on the orbiter, from which the landing module separated at 1.15 pm Monday.

Further, ISRO also carried out another manoeuvre of the orbiter on Tuesday, which the space agency did not officially announce. Sources said that the orbiter’s orbit was further reduced after a 36-second burn of the on-board propulsion systems. The orbiter reduced the distance closest to Moon to reach an orbit where the perigee was 96 km.

“This was done so that the orbiter is right on the head of the lander when the landing happens,” a source added. Vikram is expected to touchdown on the lunar surface between 1.30 am and 2.30 am on September 7. ISRO had announced that it would be at 1.55 am. "We are looking at starting the powered descent at 1.40 am or 1.45 am. The landing must happen 15 minutes after that," Sivan explained.