India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission delivered its Vikram lander and Pragyan rover to the lunar surface on August 23. Now that the lunar day ends two weeks later, the rover’s mission could be over. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has put Pragyan on standby mode.
We’re used to rover missions that last for years, thanks in large part to NASA’s Mars rovers. But these rovers have MMRTG (Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator) power plants that last for years. They are also very expensive, while the Chandrayaan-3 mission only cost around $75 million.
But Pragyan depends on solar energy and lunar night sets in.
Pragyan has transmitted all her data from her brief mission and is now in hibernation. The temperature on the Moon’s surface will drop to -120°C (-184°F), and the spacecraft’s electronics were not designed to handle this. But the battery is charged and the receiver is still on. There is some hope that he can be awakened after dark and can continue his mission on September 22.
The technical objectives of the mission were to land safely on the Moon and demonstrate the rover’s ability to drive on the Moon. The mission achieved these objectives.
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In terms of science, the mission’s objectives were to detect water ice and characterize the composition of lunar regolith. For this purpose it carries a spectrometer and a spectroscope. Its measurements will also contribute to our understanding of lunar impacts and the evolution of the lunar atmosphere.
ISRO has released some data from the mission. Temperature measurements taken by the lander showed a pronounced difference between the temperature just above and just below the surface. The surface temperature was 50°C, and a few millimeters below the surface it was -10°C.
This is the first time the temperature has been taken near the South Pole, and it confirms what other missions have found elsewhere on the Moon. The top layer of regolith acts as an insulator and does not conduct heat very well.
The mission also detected sulfur at the South Pole. It has been detected elsewhere on the Moon, but this is the first time it has been detected at the South Pole. This is also the first time that it has been detected by in situ measurements.
The remainder of the mission’s data will determine the overall outcome of the science objectives, and Indian scientists will have first access to the data before it is made available to international scientists.
India attempted to land on the Moon in 2019 but failed. So this achievement must be extraordinarily satisfying for the people at ISRO. With this success, they are the fourth country to experience lunar success, after the United States, the Soviet Union and China.
India sees itself as a great nation, and this success will only fuel that idea. It also probably won’t hurt that this comes shortly after Russia failed to land its Luna-25 spacecraft. India and Russia have been traditional allies since the Cold War, but India is experiencing success, while Russia is learning to live with failure.
Two days ago the Lander imager camera was on #Vikram capture it #Pragyan the rover makes a 360° turn. You can see it pushing a lot of lunar regolith with its wheels.
I upscaled and interpolated the official video into @isro. https://t.co/d4XBbG9VXU pic.twitter.com/WBUwbD4Rmi
– Siméon Schmauß (@stim3on) August 31, 2023
This success adds to India’s growing skills in space missions. They launched several satellites, for themselves and for other countries, and their Mangalyaan Mars Orbiter lasted 7.5 years. They are also about to launch their first mission to the ISS in collaboration with NASA.
ISRO is also planning a joint mission to the Moon with Japan called the Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX). LUPEX will feature another lander/rover mission to the South Pole of the Moon.
Separately, the European Space Agency plans to send its Exospheric L-band Mass Spectrometer (EMS-L) instrument on the LUPEX mission. It was originally planned to go to the Moon with the Russian Luna-25 mission, but ESA no longer works with Russia because it invaded Ukraine.
There is still a chance that Pragyan might wake up after the night passes. The Sun will return on September 22 and ISRO hopes that the lander can continue its mission. If ISRO succeeds and manages to wake up Pragyan, it will contribute to the success of the mission.
This article was originally published by Universe Today. Read the original article.
#Indias #lunar #rover #fell #asleep #wake