For the second time, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has successfully raised the orbit of the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

The Orbit-Raising Maneuver has ensured that the spacecraft is now flying at a perigee of just over 200 kilometers.

To achieve the precise altitude required to escape Earth's gravitational pull and embark on its journey toward the Moon, the Indian space agency will perform three more Earth-Bound Maneuvers.

The first orbit-raising maneuver was carried out a day after the mission's launch on Saturday.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on board India's heaviest launch vehicle, the Launch Vehicle Mark-3. The rocket placed the mission in a precise orbit around Earth, with all three stages performing nominally, marking a significant milestone.

Approximately nine minutes after liftoff from the Spaceport in Sriharikota, the Chandrayaan-3 mission entered the vacuum of space as it was deployed from the third stage of LVM-3.

The spacecraft is scheduled to reach the lunar orbit on August 3 and will attempt a soft landing on the Moon on August 23.

If successful, this landing would make India the fourth country, following the United States, the former Soviet Union, and China, to achieve this feat. India has launched a lander-rover configuration with the mission to the Moon.

Source: IndiaToday