'Welcome, buddy!' — contact established between Chandrayaan-2 orbiter and Chandrayaan-3 lander module
The Hindu
ISRO: Establishes two-way communication between Chandrayaan-2 orbiter and Chandrayaan-3's Lunar Module. MOX at Bengaluru's ISTRAC has more routes to reach LM.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on August 21 said a two-way communication between the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter and Chandrayaan-3’s Lunar Module has been established.
Also read: Chandrayaan-3 | How NASA, ESA will support ISRO during the Moon landing on August 23
“‘Welcome, buddy!’ Ch-2 orbiter formally welcomed Ch-3 LM. Two-way communication between the two is established. MOX [Mission Operations Complex] has now more routes to reach the LM,” the national space agency said in a post on ‘X’.
The ISRO said on August 20 the lander module of Chandrayaan-3, the third lunar mission of India, is expected to touch down on the surface of the Moon around 6.04 p.m. on August 23.
The MOX (Mission Operations Complex) is located at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru.
The ISRO also said, in an update, that the live telecast of the landing event will begin at 5.20 p.m. on August 23.
The Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft comprising orbiter, lander and rover was launched in 2019. The lander with a rover in its belly crashed into the Moon’s surface, failing in its mission to achieve a soft-landing.
