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‘I Spy You’: Chandrayaan-2’s Orbiter High Resolution Camera Takes Pics Of Chandrayaan-3 On Moon

August 25, 2023
Bharat Times

Chandrayaan-2’s orbiter has captured pictures of Chandrayaan-3’s lander on the Moon. Chandrayaan-2’s Orbiter High-Resolution Camera (OHRC), which the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) claims to be the best resolution camera around the Moon, took these images of Chandrayaan-3 after the spacecraft made a historic touchdown on the lunar south pole on August 23, 2023. ISRO wrote on X that Chandrayaan-2’s orbiter told Chandrayaan-3’s lander: “I spy you!”

After Chandrayaan-3’s successful soft landing on the Moon’s south pole, India has become the first country to achieve a soft landing in that region, and the fourth country to softly land a spacecraft on the Moon, after the Soviet Union, the United States, and China. 

Chandrayaan-2’s orbiter is serving as a backup communication relay to Chandrayaan-3. 

 

Chandrayaan-2’s Orbiter High-Resolution Camera (OHRC), which the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) claims to be the best resolution camera around the Moon, captured images of Chandrayaan-3 after the spacecraft made a historic touchdown on the lunar south pole on August 23, 2023. (Photo: Twitter/@chandrayaan_3)

On August 24, ISRO said in a mission update that all activities of Chandrayaan-3 are on schedule, and that all systems are normal. Most of Vikram lander’s payloads were turned on a day after the historic landing. The rover mobility operations have commenced. The propulsion module’s SHAPE payload was switched ‘ON’ on August 20. 

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Chandrayaan-3 has also shared a video of what the Moon looked like before the spacecraft touched down on the lunar south pole. Chandrayaan-3’s powered descent towards the lunar surface began after ISRO initiated the automatic landing sequence for the landing module, which consisted of the Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover. 

ALSO READ | Chandrayaan-3 Shares Footage Of How The Moon Looked Like Prior To Landing. WATCH

About four hours after Chandrayaan-3’s soft landing, the Pragyan rover successfully rolled out of the Vikram lander, when all the lunar dust had settled down. 

Both the Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover are expected to perform numerous experiments on the Moon for 14 Earth days. 

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ISRO Chairman S Somanath said on August 24 that Chandrayaan-3 faced a number of challenges on the Moon, including a communication blackout, and a thermal issue.