Chandrayaan-3 mission: The journey to the Moon so far
Bengaluru (PTI): ISRO's ambitious Chandrayaan-3 mission has been on a journey to the Moon since its launch on July 14.
According to the space agency, Chandrayaan 3's lander, with a rover accommodated inside it, is expected to touch down on the surface of the Moon around 6.04 pm on August 23.
Here is a glimpse of the journey of India's third lunar exploration venture has taken so far:
July 14: LVM3 M4 vehicle successfully launches Chandrayaan-3 into orbit from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. Chandrayaan-3 starts its journey into precise orbit.
July 15: First orbit-raising manoeuvre (Earthbound firing-1) successfully performed from ISTRAC/ISRO, Bengaluru. The spacecraft is in 41762 km x 173 km orbit.
July 17: Second orbit-raising manoeuvre performed. Spacecraft is in 41603 km x 226 km orbit.
July 22: Another orbit-raising manoeuvre completed using earth-bound perigee firing.
July 25: ISRO performs one more orbit-raising manoeuvre. Spacecraft is in 71351 km x 233 km orbit.
August 1: ISRO performs Translunar Injection successfully and inserts the spacecraft into translunar orbit. Orbit achieved is 288 km x 369328 km.
August 5: Lunar-Orbit Insertion of Chandrayaan-3 performed successfully. Orbit achieved is 164 km x 18074 km, as intended.
August 6: ISRO performs second Lunar Bound Phase (LBN). With this, the spacecraft is in a 170 km x 4313 km orbit around the Moon. The space agency releases video of the Moon as viewed by Chandrayaan-3 during lunar orbit insertion.
August 9: Chandrayaan-3's orbit is reduced to 174 km x 1437 km after a manoeuvre is performed.
August 14: Mission is in orbit circularisation phase after another manoeuvre. The spacecraft is in 151 km x 179 km orbit.
August 16: Spacecraft brought down to an orbit of 153 km x 163 km after firing is completed.
August 17: Lander module is successfully separated from the propulsion module.
August 19: ISRO performs de-boosting of the lander module to reduce its orbit. The lander module is in 113 km x 157 km orbit around the Moon.
August 20: One more de-boosting or orbit reduction manoeuvre on the lander module is performed. The lander module is in 25 km x 134 km orbit.
August 21: Chandrayaan-2 orbiter formally welcomes Chandrayaan-3 lander module saying Welcome, buddy!'. Two-way communication between the two is established. Mission Operations Complex (MOX) now has more ways to communicate with the lander module.
August 22: ISRO releases images of the Moon captured by the Lander Position Detection Camera (LPDC) of the Chandrayaan-3 mission from an altitude of about 70 km. Systems are undergoing regular checks. Smooth sailing is continuing.
August 23: Safe and soft landing of Chandrayaan-3's lander module on the southern pole of lunar surface expected at 6.04 pm.
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Compromised PM didn't sign trade deal with US, but a bargain for Adani's release: Rahul
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of signing a trade deal with the US only to secure the "release" of billionaire businessman Gautam Adani.
"Compromised PM did not strike a trade deal, but a bargain for Adani's release," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X, after reports that the US has agreed to settle the lawsuit that accused Adani of hiding alleged bribery.
The US government has agreed to settle the lawsuit filed against Adani, who is accused of duping investors by concealing that his company's huge solar energy project in India was being facilitated by an alleged bribery scheme, according to court filings published Thursday.
Reacting to the reports, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said it was now clear why the PM agreed to the "hopelessly one-sided Indo-US trade deal that was really a steal by the US".
"And it is also clear why he abruptly halted Operation Sindoor on May 10, 2025, acting on President Trump's threats rather than on our national interest. Reportedly, the Trump Administration is about to drop all charges of corruption against Modani," he said on X.
"How much more compromised can the PM get?" Ramesh asked.
In the lawsuit filed in late 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani, who is a director at the group's renewable energy unit Adani Green Energy Ltd, of agreeing to pay about USD 265 million in bribes to Indian government officials between approximately 2020 and 2024 to obtain lucrative solar energy supply contracts on terms that expected to yield USD 2 billion of profit over 20 years.
It was alleged in the lawsuit that Adani Group raised USD 2 billion in loans and bonds, including from US firms, on the backs of false and misleading statements related to the firm's anti-bribery practices and policies.
The ports-to-energy conglomerate had denied the allegations.
