The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday informed that the Chandrayaan-3 mission is progressing smoothly, with the spacecraft’s health reported as normal. The first orbit-raising maneuver (Earthbound firing-1) was successfully executed from the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking, and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru.

“The spacecraft’s health is normal. The first orbit-raising maneuver (Earthbound firing-1) is successfully performed at ISTRAC/ISRO, Bengaluru. Spacecraft is now in 41762 km x 173 km orbit,” the ISRO said in a tweet on Saturday.

The update came a day after the ISRO on Friday successfully launched the third edition of its Moon exploration programme from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, aimed at making a soft landing on the unexplored south pole of the Moon.

Only three countries—the US, China, and Russia—have managed to land on the lunar surface so far.