Chandrayaan-3's Pragyan rover, with payloads enabled, performs moonwalk for science
Chandrayaan-3 mission is carrying out its operations flawlessly. In the latest update, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has said that "all planned rover movements have been verified." The rover, which is called Pragyan, has now ventured about eight meters on the Moon. ISRO also confirmed that all the payloads on the Propulsion Module, Vikram lander, and Pragyan rover are performing well.
Take a look at ISRO's latest update
The rover and lander are carrying different scientific payloads
The rover is carrying two payloads, namely the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) which will help in assessing the elemental composition of the Moon. On the other hand, the Vikram lander is carrying four payloads. The lander's investigations include scanning for moonquakes, measuring the lunar surface temperature, and observing the Moon's charged atmosphere.
The Propulsion Module's payload acts as a 'value addition'
The mission's Propulsion Module, which is currently in orbit, is also equipped with a payload called SHAPE. ISRO says it is a "value addition." Short for Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth, SHAPE is designed to collect data based on the polarization of light reflected by Earth. This data could be useful in scouring for exoplanets that exhibit similar characteristics as ours.
