Bengaluru, August 26: The India Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday released images of the lunar surface captured by Chandrayaan 2. The photos were taken by Terrain Mapping Camera-2 (TMC2) of the spacecraft on August 23 at an altitude of about 4,375 km. In the images, craters such as Jackson, Mach, Korolev and Mitra (In the name of Prof. Sisir Kumar Mitra) can clearly be seen on the moon’s surface. Chandrayaan 2 Path 'Compressed', Spacecraft's Orbit Shortened by ISRO For Successful Manoeuvring.

In a tweet, the ISRO tweeted, “#ISRO Lunar surface imaged by Terrain Mapping Camera-2(TMC-2) of #Chandrayaan2 on August 23 at an altitude of about 4375 km showing craters such as Jackson, Mach, Korolev and Mitra (In the name of Prof. Sisir Kumar Mitra).”

On August 22, the ISRO released the first picture of the moon. The image was captured by the Vikram Lander at the height of about 2,650 km from the lunar surface. Mare Orientale basin and Apollo craters can be visible in the image.

The Chandrayaan 2 entered the lunar orbit on August 20. A day after, the space agency successfully performed the second Lunar bound orbit using the onboard propulsion system. The duration of the manoeuvre was 1,228 seconds. Meanwhile, in another manoeuvre, the path of the spacecraft was compressed to an elliptical orbit of 114 x 4,412. Chandrayaan 2 Enters Lunar Orbit Successfully, ISRO Completes Tricky Operation Ahead of Moon Landing.

Three critical manoeuvres are still pending which are to be performed on August 28, 30 and September 1 to lower the altitude of the spacecraft. Chandrayaan 2 will make a soft landing on the lunar surface on September 7.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 26, 2019 06:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).