Days before Chandrayaan-3s lander Vikram is set to touch down on the surface of the Moon, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Monday said that it has established a two-way-communication with the orbiter of the missions predecessor-Chandrayaan 2.
Though the lander of Chandrayaan-2 mission was lost, PRADAN, the orbiter, is currently in a 100 km x 100 km orbit around the Moon.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), ISRO said that the orbiter sent a welcome message to lander Vikram, which is due to land on the far side of the Moon on Aug 23.
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, the space agency said in its 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 soft landing of the third Lunar Mission Chandrayaan-3 will take place at 1804 hrs on Aug 23.
The Indian space agency announced that the powered descent for soft landing will take place at 1745 hrs.
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!
Lets 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
Amid the countdown to the touchdown, ISRO has shared some fresh images of the Moon which have been taken by Chandrayaan-3 lander.
The lander has identified some of the craters on its far side facing away from the Earth.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
Here are the images of
Lunar far side area
captured by the
Lander Hazard Detection and Avoidance Camera (LHDAC).
This camera that assists in locating a safe landing area — without boulders or deep trenches — during the descent is developed by ISRO pic.twitter.com/rwWhrNFhHB
ISRO (@isro) August 21, 2023
After Sundays crucial manoeuvre, the spacecraft was now located at about 25 km x 134 km.
