India’s rover ‘Pragyan’ has explored the moon’s surface for a good 10 days and finished its entire assignment in ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 mission.The rover is now set into sleep mode. It is securely placed on the moon and put to sleep as night falls.
The ‘Pragyan’ rover completed Chandrayaan-3 Mission. It is safely parked and sleeping. Off APXS and LIBS payloads. The Lander sends data from these payloads to Earth, the space agency said on X.
After the following lunar day on September 22, ISRO will restart the mission. It has a fully charged battery and solar panels oriented to receive sun light.
“The battery is fully charged.The solar panel faces the September 22, 2023 dawn. Keep the receiver on. Hope to wake up to more assignments! If not, it would remain India’s lunar ambassador forever, ISRO said.
ISRO reported that the Pragyan rover traveled over 100 meters after leaving the Vikram lander 10 days ago.
After sunset, the lunar surface may drop to minus 200 degrees Celsius.
The temperature drops to -200°F. In such severe conditions, the battery and electronics may not survive, but we completed certain tests and we believe they will, ISRO chairman S Somnath remarked.
Pragyan has confirmed sulphur on the Moon’s south pole. Other elements including aluminum, silicon, oxygen, and manganese have been found, which can aid Earth science.
The lander also recorded a “natural event” on the Moon on August 26, which the ISRO will investigate and disseminate.
ISRO said, “In-situ Scientific Experiments Instrument for the Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) payload on Chandrayaan 3 Lander — the first Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology-based instrument on the moon — has recorded the movements of Rover and other payloads.”
It also recorded a natural occurrence on August 26, 2023. The statement noted that the cause is being investigated.
Conclusion:-
India’s rover ‘Pragyan’ has completed its Chandrayaan-3 assignments, after exploring the moon’s surface for 10 days. The rover is now safely parked and sleeping, off APXS and LIBS payloads. The space agency plans to restart the mission on September 22 with a fully charged battery and solar panels. The rover traveled over 100 meters after leaving the Vikram lander 10 days ago. The lunar surface may drop to minus 200 degrees Celsius after sunset, but ISRO believes it will survive. The rover has confirmed sulphur on the Moon’s south pole and other elements, aiding Earth science. The lander also recorded a “natural event” on August 26, which ISRO will investigate and disseminate.
