'Welcome, buddy': Chandrayaan 3 Landing Module establishes communication with Ch-2 orbiter, says ISRO

ISRO said on Monday that Chandrayaan-3 Lander Module successfully established a two-communication with Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter, a vital development ahead of the historic Moon landing scheduled on August 23.

Bengaluru: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said on Monday that Chandrayaan-3 Lander Module successfully established a two-communication with Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter, a vital development ahead of the historic Moon landing scheduled on August 23.

"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," ISRO tweeted on Monday.

• 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 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  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

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  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

Throughout the mission, the health of the spacecraft is being continuously monitored from the Mission Operations Complex (MOX) at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking, and Command Network (ISTRAC), the Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) antenna at Byalalu, near Bengaluru, with the support from ESA and JPL Deep space antenna.

Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter is currently in a 100 km x 100 km orbit around the Moon. ISRO announced the powered descent on August 23, at around 17:45 hrs IST. It has heightened the sense of anticipation surrounding this remarkable endeavour. The soft landing, if achieved, will stand as a testament to India's advancements in science, engineering, technology, and industry. This pivotal moment holds the potential to inspire future generations and bolster the nation's stature in the realm of space exploration.

Speaking to ANI, Former ISRO chief K Sivan said, “It's a very anxious moment…I'm sure that this time it will be a grand success. We have our own system and we will be establishing a soft landing without any problem. But it is a complex process."