Yet another critical operation on the Chandrayaan-2, and yet again done with textbook precision. ISRO has just announced, that Vikram lander has now successfully separated from the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter without a glitch. This now essentially means, that Vikram is ready for a touchdown with the lunar surface. The touchdown is expected to happen on September 5th.
The Vikram Lander is currently located in an orbit of 119 km x 127 km. The Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter continues to orbit the Moon in its existing orbit.
#ISRO
Vikram Lander Successfully separates from #Chandrayaan2 Orbiter today (September 02, 2019) at 1315 hrs IST.For details please visit https://t.co/mSgp79R8YP pic.twitter.com/jP7kIwuZxH
— ISRO (@isro) September 2, 2019
In a press release, ISRO mentioned that the health of the Orbiter and Lander is being monitored from the Mission Operations Complex (MOX) at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru with support from Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) antennas at Bylalu, near Bengaluru. All the systems of Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter and Lander are healthy.
The next maneuver is scheduled tomorrow (September 03, 2019) between 0845-0945 hrs IST.
