In a significant development, the Chandrayaan-3 lander, which separated from its propulsion module just last week, has achieved a remarkable feat by establishing a seamless two-way communication link with the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, a key component of the Chandrayaan-2 programme.
While the Chandrayaan-2 lander encountered challenges during its descent, leading to its inability to make a soft landing on the Moon, its accompanying orbiter continued to circle the lunar sphere, carrying out an array of scientific experiments as mandated by ISRO
Leveraging this operational orbiter, ISRO decided not to launch a separate orbiter as part of the Chandrayaan-3 mission.
ISRO officials conveyed that the Chandrayaan-3 lander, in its bid to reach the lunar surface successfully, will rely on the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter as a medium for maintaining communication with Earth.
According to ISRO, the Mission Operations Complex now boasts enhanced communication pathways to connect with the Lander Module.
Anticipation is building as the countdown for the eagerly awaited lunar touchdown on the Moon’s southern pole is already underway.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission has triumphantly completed all five crucial orbit manoeuvre stages along with two deboosting manoeuvres, progressively propelling it closer to the lunar terrain.
The upcoming phase in this ambitious endeavour is the actual landing, which is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 23 August.
As the event draws near, ISRO has announced plans to live telecast the landing starting from Monday at 5:20 pm,