Chandrayaan-3's Pragyan rover completes its walk on lunar surface
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that Chandrayaan-3's Pragyan rover successfully completed its walk on the lunar surface and entered sleep mode. Scientists are currently analyzing the data collected by the rover as it looked for signs of frozen water, including the presence of various elements. The Vikram lander and the rover are likely to wake up for another set of assignments on September 22. Chandrayaan-3 made a historic landing near the lunar south pole on August 23.
Lander and rover have entered sleep mode
The lander and rover have completed their assignments and entered sleep mode with their payloads turned off, ISRO said. "The solar panel is oriented to receive the light at the next sunrise expected on September 22, 2023," the agency tweeted. The receiver is turned on, and scientists are hopeful for its successful awakening to continue their mission. The lander and rover were initially expected to operate for only one lunar day, equivalent to 14 Earth days.
Rover has uncovered elemental lunar treasures
India's lunar rover has made several significant discoveries during its mission so far. Using its laser-induced spectroscope instrument, the rover reportedly confirmed the presence of sulfur and detected other elements such as aluminum, iron, calcium, chromium, titanium, manganese, oxygen, and silicon. The data collected has been transmitted to Earth for analysis by Indian scientists and will later be shared with the global scientific community, too.
Overcoming challenges for future missions
To note, the electronics onboard India's Moon mission are not designed to withstand temperatures below minus 120 degrees Celsius during lunar nighttime. Developing electronic circuits and components that can survive such extreme cold temperatures of the Moon is a technology that India still has to work on. Addressing these challenges will be crucial for the success of future lunar missions.
