Vikram sends images of the far side of Moon ahead of landing

The lander module of Chandrayaan-3 established two-way communication with the orbiter of its predecessor, Chandrayaan-2, on Monday, confirming the "good health" of the spacecraft, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) said as the agency prepares for landing on August 23.

- Soumya Pillai

"Chandrayaan-3 Mission: 'Welcome, buddy!' Ch-2 orbiter formally welcomed Ch-3 LM," Isro said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

"Two-way communication between the two is established. MOX (Mission Operations Complex) has now more routes to reach the LM," the post said.

The space agency also released images of the far side of the Moon captured by the Lander Hazard Detection and Avoidance Camera (LHDAC).

LHDAC is designed to assist in locating a safe landing area without boulders or deep trenches-during the descent, and was developed by Isro at its Space Applications Centre (SAC).

Senior Isro scientists THE said that all images shared so far were taken on August 19, before Chandrayaan-3's lander, Vikram, entered the pre-landing orbit.

The agency will now conduct internal checks on the landing module ahead of the scheduled powered descent at 5.45pm on Wednesday- the day of landing.

There is, meanwhile, a scope for the extension of the mission's life beyond 14 days.

Speaking to HT on Monday, Isro chairman S Somanath said that over the next two days, the health of Chandrayaan-3 will be continuously monitored. The final sequence of landing will also be loaded and tested on Monday, he said.