The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft has been successfully manoeuvred into a lunar orbit.

According to ISRO, the orbit achieved is 114km x 18,072km.

Following this, a set of orbit manoeuvres will be performed on the spacecraft to allow it to pass through the final orbit over the lunar poles at a distance of 100km from the Moon’s surface.

The lander will then separate from the Orbiter, entering a 100km x 30km orbit around the Moon.

It will subsequently perform a series of complex braking manoeuvres to make a soft landing in the South polar region of the Moon on 7 September.

The spacecraft is continuously monitored from the Mission Operations Complex (MOX) at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru, India, assisted by Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) antennas at Bylalu.

The recent update is one of the adverse operations in the mission as the satellite may bounce off and get lost in deep space if it approaches the Moon at a higher velocity than expected, reported NDTV.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: “This is an important step in the landmark journey to the Moon.”

Last month, ISRO successfully launched the 3,840kg Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft into an Earth orbit through the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) MkIII-M1.

In the same month, the company released new images of the Chandrayaan-2 satellite, prior to its launch.

In June, ISRO chairman Sivan said that the country will establish its own space station within seven years, marking its biggest development in space exploration so far after launching probes to the Moon and Mars.