The Chandrayaan-3 lander, which is all set to descend on the Moon surface, established contact with the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter on Monday afternoon.
The lander and the orbiter established a ‘two-way communication’ which will enable the Indian Space Research Organisation to more easily maintain contact with the lander, the space agency said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“‘Welcome, buddy!’ Ch-2 orbiter formally welcomed Ch-3 LM [landing module]. Two-way communication between the two is established. MOX [Mission control] has now more routes to reach the LM,” Isro said in a post.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
‘Welcome, buddy!’
Ch-2 orbiter formally welcomed Ch-3 LM.Two-way communication between the two is established.
MOX has now more routes to reach the LM.
Update: Live telecast of Landing event begins at 17:20 Hrs. IST.#Chandrayaan_3 #Ch3
— ISRO (@isro) August 21, 2023
The orbiter has been revolving around the Moon since 2019 when ISRO attempted its maiden landing on the lunar surface with the Chandrayaan-2 mission. The mission ended in part failure. The orbiter was not just successfully placed around the Moon, but its mission life was extended to seven years due to some precise launch and orbital manoeuvres. However, the mission’s lander-rover combination perished while attempting a soft landing near our satellite’s South Pole.
Four years later, Isro is making another attempt with Chandrayaan-3 whose lander – named Vikram (Chandrayaan-2’s lander was similarly named) – will try to land on the surface of the Moon on Wednesday, August 23.
The lander, along with the Pragyaan rover accommodated inside it, is expected to touch down on the surface of the Moon around 6.04 pm on Wednesday. The live telecast of the landing event will begin at 5.20 pm on Wednesday.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
🇮🇳Chandrayaan-3 is set to land on the moon 🌖on August 23, 2023, around 18:04 Hrs. IST.
Thanks for the wishes and positivity!
Let’s continue experiencing the journey together
as the action unfolds LIVE at:
ISRO Website https://t.co/osrHMk7MZL
YouTube… pic.twitter.com/zyu1sdVpoE— ISRO (@isro) August 20, 2023
