Chandrayaan-3 Lander and Rover Reactivation Postponed
Image Source: The Wire
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has deferred the reactivation of Chandrayaan-3‘s Pragyan rover and Vikram lander, which was originally scheduled for Friday evening. The Director of the Space Applications Centre, Nilesh Desai, cited various reasons for the delay and announced that the reactivation would now take place on Saturday, September 23.
The reactivation plan aims to awaken the rover and lander from their ‘sleep mode’ after approximately 16 Earth days of dormancy to accommodate the lunar night enveloping the Moon’s south pole.
Originally, ISRO had planned to move the rover approximately 300-350 meters across the Moon’s surface. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, they’ve only managed to move it 105 meters thus far. The data collected by the rover during its operation has been archived and is currently being analyzed by scientists.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission achieved success with the Vikram lander’s soft landing on the Moon’s surface on August 24, establishing India as the first nation to land on the Moon’s south pole. The Pragyaan rover subsequently conducted in-situ experiments, detecting various elements and enhancing our understanding of the lunar surface. However, the harsh lunar environment, with nighttime temperatures plummeting to around -200°C (-328°F), presents significant challenges for extended mission operations.
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