The Chandrayaan-3 mission, launched on July 14, 2023, is a follow-up to the Chandrayaan-2 mission of 2019.

The Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, still operational around the Moon, adds to India's lunar presence. This box-shaped craft, with an orbital mass of 2,379 kg and solar arrays capable of generating 1000 W power, communicates with the Indian Deep Space Network and the lander.

Yesterday, a two-way communication between the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter and Chandrayaan-3's lander module was 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'.

Now India has three spacecraft on the moon and India continues to make significant strides in space exploration.

The successful landing of the Vikram lander would mark a historic achievement for ISRO, demonstrating end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the Moon's surface that it could not achieve with Chandrayaan-2 four years ago.

India, however, is not alone around the Moon. China, US and Korea too have functioning missions hovering above the Moon.

As the world watches, India's lunar exploration program stands poised to unlock new scientific discoveries and technological advancements.

Source: IndiaToday