Chandrayaan-3 took about 40 to 42 days to reach the Moon after its launch on July 14, 2023. This extended duration compared to Apollo missions (which took about 3.5 days) is due to Chandrayaan-3's fuel-efficient trajectory, involving multiple orbits around Earth and gradual orbit-raising maneuvers before entering the lunar transfer trajectory and finally lunar orbit insertion around August 5, 2023
. Key points about the journey:
- Chandrayaan-3 performed several Earth-bound orbit maneuvers to build speed and altitude before translunar injection on August 1, 2023
- Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) occurred on August 5, marking entry into lunar orbit
- The lander separated and performed deboost maneuvers before soft landing near the lunar south pole on August 23, about 40 days after launch
- The longer travel time was chosen for fuel efficiency and mission safety, contrasting with the faster but more fuel-intensive Apollo missions
Thus, Chandrayaan-3's travel time from Earth to Moon was roughly 40-42 days.
