ISRO Tracks Chandrayaan-3 Module As It Re-Enters Lunar Zone

The Chandrayaan-3 service module, last tracked by Space-Track.org on June 27, 2025, has naturally entered the Moon's gravitational influence, according to scientists.

Asteroid-tracking data from September showed that the service module's trajectory will bring it near the Moon twice in early November. The Chandrayaan-3 (CH-3) propulsion module, more than two years after the main mission, naturally drifted close to the Moon.

The Earth, Moon, and Sun's gravitational pull caused the spacecraft to slowly drift without any engine fires. The module is the portion of the spacecraft that helps the mission function in space while carrying Chandrayaan-3 to the Moon without landing.

CHANDRAYAAN-3 was last reported by https://t.co/jPw7NGPQYB on 2025-06-27. In September it became obvious from asteroid tracking data that the service module would encounter the Moon in early November twice. ????⬇️ pic.twitter.com/A3sV3sBU3B

— Scott Tilley ???????? ???????? (@coastal8049) November 14, 2025

It is extremely uncommon for a spacecraft to naturally orbit the Moon years after the completion of its main mission. The propulsion module remained in orbit when the lander and rover touched down on the Moon in August 2023. It now naturally moved back near the Moon in 2025.

The module entered the Moon's Sphere of Influence (SOI) on November 4. It's the region where the Moon's gravity is stronger than Earth's. It traveled around 3,740 kilometers above the lunar surface. On November 11, the second flyby took place at a distance of 4,537 kilometers.

The module has become bigger and a bit flatter after the lunar flybys. "The satellite orbit has changed from 1 lakh x 3 lakh km to 4.09 lakh x 7.27 lakh km in terms of size, and its inclination changed from 34 degrees to 22 degrees due to these flyby events," ISRO said in its blog post.

The Indian space agency emphasised that these encounters were not intentional maneuvers; instead, the orbit gradually drifted due to gravitational pull.

CH-3 was launched on July 14, 2023, from Sriharikota on an LVM3 rocket with the purpose of landing safely on the Moon, operating a rover, and carrying out scientific experiments on the lunar surface.

After its successful Moon landing in August 2023, the Propulsion Module stayed in orbit, then was moved into a higher Earth orbit in October. Over the next two years, it naturally drifted under the pull of Earth and the Moon's gravity.