Trans Lunar Injection

Trans Lunar Injection

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Space technology

Context: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday announced that Chandrayaan-3 has successfully completed its orbits around the Earth and is currently on its way towards the Moon.

Details:

According to an ISRO ,after the trans-lunar injection, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft successfully departed from Earth’s orbit and is now on a trajectory headed towards the Moon. The ISRO had previously announced plans to attempt a soft landing on the lunar surface on August 23.

What is Trans Lunar Injection?

• The TLI is a propulsive maneuver used to set a spacecraft on a trajectory that will set it on course to intercept the Moon. It involves a significant burn, usually performed by a chemical rocket engine, which increases the spacecraft’s velocity.
• This increased velocity changes its orbit from a circular low Earth orbit to a highly eccentric one. The TLI burn is sized and timed to precisely target the Moon as it revolves around the Earth.
• The burn is timed so that the spacecraft nears apogee (closest point) as the Moon approaches. Finally, the spacecraft enters the Moon’s sphere of influence, making a hyperbolic lunar swingby.
• Upon successful completion of the TLI, Chandrayaan-3 will embark on its lunar transfer arc, approximating an elliptical orbit about the Earth with an apogee near the radius of the Moon’s orbit.
• The spacecraft is expected to reach lunar orbit after a series of complex maneuvers. Once in lunar orbit, the mission will enter its moon-centric phase, with several critical events lined up, including the separation of the lander, a set of deboostmaneuvers, and finally the descent phase for a soft landing on the lunar surface.
• Chandrayaan-3 carries scientific instruments designed to study various aspects of the lunar surface, including the thermophysical properties of the lunar regolith, lunar seismicity, the lunar surface plasma environment, and the elemental composition in the vicinity of the landing site on the Moon.