India is preparing to land on the surface of the moon

Early this morning, the Indian lander Vikram Moon successfully separated from the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter. The landing gear is expected to land on the lunar surface at approximately 20:25 UTC on 6 September.

The Indian Chandrayaan-2 Moon mission was launched on July 22 and entered lunar orbit a little less than a month later. The mission includes three elements: the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, the Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover. Although it is not the country's first mission to the moon, it is the first time India has made a soft landing on the moon's surface.

The separation of the LG Vikram was completed at 7:45 UTC this morning. According to an ISRO press release, the LG is currently being followed by the ISRO Mission Operations Complex (MOX), Telemetry, Tracking and Control Network. (ISTRAC) of Bengaluru, with support from the Bylalu Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN). The agency confirmed that the LG and the orbiter are in good health with the lander in an orbit of 119 km by 127 km.

The next two Vikram lander maneuvers are expected to be completed tomorrow (03 September). The LG will perform two desorbite burns for a motorized descent later this week.

The main landing site is in a high plain between Manzinus C craters and Simpelius N, 350 km north of the South Pole-Aitken basin. If a touchdown at the main landing site is not possible, another site is available at a short distance.