An ISRO picture of Chandrayaan-3 Vikram Lander. File
| Photo Credit: ANI/ISRO Twitter
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which hoped to awaken the Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander and Pragyan rover on September 2, says it has not obtained any signals from both of the 2, regardless of persevering with efforts to determine communications.
“Efforts have been made to establish communication with the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover to ascertain their wake-up condition. As of now, no signals have been received from them. Efforts to establish contact will continue,” ISRO posted on X (previously Twitter) on Friday.
Sleep mode
On September 2, the rover was put into sleep mode; two days later, on September 4, the lander was additionally put to sleep, following the top of 1 lunar day. “Vikram will fall asleep next to Pragyan once the solar power is depleted and the battery is drained. Hoping for their awakening, around September 22, 2023,” ISRO had mentioned on September 4.
Before placing them into sleep mode, the lander’s payloads had been switched off. However, each the Vikram’s and Pragyan’s receivers had been stored on by ISRO, with the hope of re-establishing communication with the 2.
Nilesh M. Desai, director of the Space Applications Centre, mentioned that efforts had been on to determine contact with the lander and the rover, including that it may occur anytime.
Extreme chilly atmosphere
Once the solar units on the moon after the completion of 1 lunar day, the temperature on the lunar floor may plunge under -200°C. “The temperature there goes down to minus 200 degrees. In such an environment, there is no guarantee that the battery, electronics will survive, but we did some tests and we get the feeling that they will survive even in such harsh conditions,” ISRO chairman S. Somanath had mentioned earlier.
Since the Chandrayaan-3 mission efficiently landed on the moon on August 23, the Vikram and the Pragyan have carried out many in-situ measurements, together with to verify the presence of sulphur in lunar floor in that area, and to detect the presence of minor components.
Major achievement
The Vikram lander additionally achieved a major milestone because it efficiently undertook a hop experiment. On command, the lander fired the engines, elevated itself by about 40 cm and landed safely at a distance of 30 cm to 40 cm away. This profitable hop experiment and kickstart may have vital bearing on future missions which shall be launched with an goal to carry again samples from the moon, in addition to future human missions to the moon.
If ISRO manages to obtain signals and wake the Vikram and the Pragyan, it could be a bonus for the area company because it hopes to hold out some extra experiments on the moon.
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft was launched on July 14 and touched down on the lunar floor on August 23, making India the fourth nation to efficiently land on the moon and the primary nation to the touch down on the polar area of the moon.
