New Delhi: In a significant achievement, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) declared on Monday that successful two-way communication has been established between the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter and the Chandrayaan-3 Lander Module 'Vikram'. The Ch-2 orbiter, orbiting the Moon since its successful launch, greeted the Ch-3 lander with a heartwarming "welcome, buddy".
The post further added that Bengaluru-based Mission Operations Complex (MOX), ISTRAC, which is controlling the entire Chandrayaan-3 mission from launching spacecraft to maneuvering, and landing, has now have more routes to reach the lander module. It implies that the controlling authority has several ways to connect with the Chandrayaan-3’s lander, in case, they face difficulty to connect via the lander itself or Chandrayaan-3’s orbiter.
In a move that has captured the attention of space enthusiasts globally, ISRO has announced that the live telecast of the Chandrayaan-3 landing event will commence at 5:20 PM IST. The anticipated soft landing of the 'Vikram' lander is a pivotal objective of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, aimed at the Moon's south pole in its unilluminated region.
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
ISRO is trying to make a soft landing of its lander ‘Vikram’ in the Chandrayaan-3 mission near the south pole in the dark side of the Moon. ISRO’s earlier attempt under ‘Chandrayaan-2’ suffered a communication problem that led to hard crash of the lander on the Moon’s surface.
Coincidentally, Russia encountered its own lunar mission setback. The 'Luna-25' mission, Russia's initial attempt at a soft lunar landing near the Moon's south pole since 1976, experienced a mishap during the orbit maneuvering phase, leading to its crash onto the lunar surface.
