In an unprecedented feat of space exploration, India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission has successfully landed on the Moon. Now begins the journey of the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover over 14 days.
Vikram lander and Pragyan rover have 14 Earth days to gather scientific data from the Moon’s surface and atmosphere.
After this, a lunar night which also lasts 14 Earth Days ensues. During this lunar night, the solar-powered Pragyan rover and Vikram Lander go into a dormant state due to severe temperature drops and lack of solar power.
This is a crucial part of the mission because during this period, the rover and lander remain in touch with each other, relaying data back to ISRO’s mission control center on Earth.
Lunar South Pole & Plans
An interesting aspect of India’s lunar mission is its target – the South Pole of the Moon, a region untouched by any other lunar expedition so far.
This area, known for its craters and deep trenches, holds the possibility of lunar water ice, which would be a valuable resource for future Moon missions.
Neither Vikram nor Pragyan return to Earth. They’ll stay on the Moon, running their systems down once their experiments are completed and the long lunar night hits.
Despite no current plans for revival, ISRO remains hopeful that both Vikram and Pragyan will survive the lunar night and resume operations when the lunar day returns.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission
With a total expenditure of ₹ 600 crore, Chandrayaan-3 was launched on July 14 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
Despite some dramatic moments such as the 20 minutes of terror and a near collision with a Russian spacecraft, the odyssey of Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover has been a success, marking a significant leap for India’s lunar ambitions.
As India successfully embarks on its moon exploration, the next 14 days are crucial.
All eyes are on the Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover to see how they perform during their limited window of exploration and survive the long lunar night.
Their success or failure will provide valuable lessons for future lunar missions, making their 14-Day Odyssey a truly historic event.
