'Welcome, buddy!' — Contact established between Chandrayaan-2 orbiter and Chandrayaan-3 lander module

Bengaluru: ISRO on Monday said a two-way communication between the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter and Chandrayaan-3’s Lunar Module has been established.

”‘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 national space agency said in a post on ‘X’.

ISRO said on Sunday 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 pm on August 23.

The MOX (Mission Operations Complex) is located at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) here.

ISRO also said, in an update, that the live telecast of the landing event will begin at 5.20 pm 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.

ISRO said in 2019 that due to the precise launch and orbital manoeuvres, the mission life of the orbiter is increased to seven years.