Chandrayaan-3 lander establishes communication line with Chandrayaan-2 orbiter

The lander module of Chandrayaan-3 has successfully established communication with the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, which has been orbiting the moon for the past four years. The communication link was established ahead of the scheduled landing of Chandrayaan-3 on Wednesday, marking a significant step forward for India's lunar exploration endeavors.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) confirmed that a two-way communication channel has been established between the lander module of Chandrayaan-3 and the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter. The Mission Operations Complex (MOX) now has additional routes to connect with the lander module.

While Chandrayaan-2 faced challenges during its attempted moon landing, its orbiter continued to function flawlessly, conducting various experiments as planned. The Chandrayaan-2 orbiter's role extended to aiding the Chandrayaan-3 mission in diverse capacities.

The orbiter's contribution included identifying a suitable landing site for Chandrayaan-3, and it is now primed to facilitate communication between the Chandrayaan-3 lander and ground stations. Chandrayaan-3's communication network has been intricately configured to relay data from the lander to the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, which in turn will transmit the data to ISRO's ground stations. The lander module of Chandrayaan-3 also possesses the capability to directly communicate with Earth.

ISRO Chairman S Somanath shed light on this collaboration, stating, "The Chandrayaan-2 orbiter is functioning very well and it will communicate with the Chandrayaan-3 lander. This signal will reach the ground station. Suppose, for any reason, the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter is not working properly, then the Chandrayaan-3 lander will communicate directly with Earth. For the rover (which will be released after a safe and soft landing), the communication is only with the lander and the lander will communicate with the orbiter or earth stations."