Here's why Chandrayaan-3 will take over a month to reach moon

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

ISRO) historic mission, Chandrayaan-3, will reach Moon after a journey of over 40 days. In comparison, NASA's Apollo 11 arrived the lunar surface in just four days. Here's why Chandrayaan is taking over a month to reach the Moon.Divergent Trajectories: US' Apollo missions, including Apollo 11, used a direct trajectory known as Translunar Injection to reach moon.

The powerful Saturn V launch vehicle propelled the Apollo spacecraft into Earth orbit, followed by a single engine burn that directly sent it towards the Moon, enabling a swift journey within a few days. In comparison, Chandrayaan-3 will follow a different trajectory to reach moon. The mission employs a series of Earth orbits and engine burns to gradually increase the spacecraft's speed and position it for lunar insertion.

This approach accommodates the use of a relatively less powerful launch vehicle, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark-III, which possesses a lower payload capacity compared to the Saturn V. Consequently, a more gradual trajectory was chosen to optimize the mission within these launch vehicle constraints.Using Earth and Moon's Gravity: ISRO is using a clever strategy to overcome the limitations of the launch vehicle. Moving in an elliptical path around Earth, the Chandrayaan-3 will achieve the peak speed when passing through the perigee, the closest point to Earth.

Each time the spacecraft approaches the perigee, the engines will be fired to increase its speed. A series of these firings in every orbit will push the module into higher and more elongated orbits. With each burn, the module spirals outward, gaining momentum and energy.Gradual Escape from Earth's Gravitational Hold: As the journey continues, the module eventually