India’s lunar lander is preparing for a historic landing attempt near the moon’s south pole. The spacecraft is capturing stunning footage during its descent.
India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is swooping toward the moon’s surface ahead of its historic landing attempt, and it’s capturing some stunning visuals on the way. The Indian Space Research Organization confirmed Tuesday that Chandrayaan-3 is on schedule and “smooth sailing is continuing.” The spacecraft is set to begin its final descent toward the moon’s surface on Wednesday at 5:45 p.m. IST .
One bird’s-eye view of the moon was taken from 70 kilometers above the lunar surface, depicting such features as the Mare Marginis, a large black spot formed by ancient asteroid strikes on the extreme edge of the near side of the moon. Another image, taken on August 20 from a much closer vantage point as the spacecraft whisked by, offered a close-up of the moon’s dusty gray terrain.
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