Chandrayaan-3: Here's what's on agenda for Pragyan rover in the next 14 days

India’s moon mission, Chandrayaan-3 scriptedhistory on August 23 with the successful landing on the moon’s South Pole. After this, India became the fourth nation to land on the lunar surface after Russia (Soviet Union), the United States and China, and the first-ever nation to soft land on the south pole of the moon.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated India and the world, calling this achievement a gift for humankind and science. The scenes at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) were euphoric. ISRO chief S Somanth dedicated this historic feat to the entire scientific community of India’s space agency.

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Chandrayaan-3: What’s next after Vikram Lander’s successful landing on moon?

On August 24, Chandrayaan-3’s Pragyan rover successfully ramped down from the Vikram lander. ISRO shared the mission update on X (formerly Twitter), “Chandrayaan-3 ROVER: Made in India, Made for the MOON! The Ch-3 Rover ramped down from the Lander and India took a walk on the moon! More updates soon."

What will Pragyan rover do now?

The Pragyan rover will now carry out a series of experiments on the surface of the moon. The rover will send data to the lander which will send it to Earth.

Pragyan will check the chemical composition of the lunar surface, and examine the lunar soil and rocks. It will measure the ions and electrons density and the thermal properties of the lunar surface near the polar region. This will be the first of its kind study as no other country has ever ventured to the moon's south pole.

The mission objectives of Chandrayaan-3 were:

1. To demonstrate a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface

2. To have the rover moving on the moon

3. To conduct in-situ scientific experiments

The mission has already completed two of its objectives. The rover will stay on the lunar surface for 1 Lunar day or 14 Earth days. But what will happen after 14 days?

What will happen to Chandrayaan-3 after 14 days?

While Vikram and Pragyan have a planned mission life of 1 lunar day (14 days on Earth), there is a possibility that the duo could live longer. ISRO has designed its lander and rover to harness solar power and charge its onboard batteries, but that would be possible only during the lunar day.

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After lunar day, comes lunar night for 14 days when temperatures drop severely and go well below -150ºC. If the lander and rover survive the lunar night (14.75 earth days), it might be possible for them to get revived when the lunar day breaks and solar power is available, multiple ISRO officials told WION Correspondent, Sidharth MP.

(With inputs from agencies)

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