“Communication Established: Chandrayaan-3 Lander Receives Greeting from Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter Ahead of Moon Landing”
In preparation for the impending touchdown, Vikram captured images of lunar craters at the uncharted south pole region of the Moon, always hidden from Earth’s view.
Leading up to the lunar landing scheduled for August 23, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has confirmed successful two-way communication with the orbiter from the previous Chandrayaan-2 mission. Despite the loss of the Chandrayaan-2 lander, the PRADAN orbiter currently maintains an orbit around the Moon, measuring 100 km x 100 km. ISRO’s announcement on the X platform (formerly Twitter) revealed that the orbiter extended a warm welcome to the Chandrayaan-3 lander, Vikram, as it endeavors to touch down on the Moon’s far side.
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
“Formal Welcome, Buddy!” stated the ISRO post, as the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter officially greeted the Chandrayaan-3 lander (Ch-3 LM). The establishment of two-way communication between entities has expanded potential pathways for communication. The ISRO communication also mentioned that MOX (Mission Operations Complex) now has additional means of reaching the lunar module (LM).
Furthermore, ISRO disclosed that the live broadcast of the landing event is set to commence at 5:20 pm on August 23 (Wednesday).
The recent lunar crater images captured by Vikram on the preceding Saturday identified noteworthy formations such as Hayn, Boss L, Mare Humboldtianum, and Bel’kovich. ISRO shared these images on social media platforms.
K Sivan, former ISRO chief and overseer of the previous lunar endeavor Chandrayaan-2, expressed optimism about the upcoming mission’s success. He remarked, “It’s a very anxious moment… I’m sure that this time it will be a grand success,” in an interview with news agency ANI.
Coverage of the landing event will be available for viewing on the ISRO website, the organization’s YouTube channel, Facebook, and the public broadcaster Doordarshan.
