ISRO Aims to Re-establish Contact with Chandrayaan-3's Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is making another attempt to establish communication with the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover of its Chandrayaan-3 mission as the sun rises over the lunar south pole on September 21.

These lunar explorers have been dormant for approximately two weeks in the extreme cold of the Moon's south pole, with temperatures dropping to -200 degrees Celsius. The arrival of sunlight is expected to improve their operational conditions.

ISRO has reported that there is now a sunrise at the Chandrayaan-3 landing site in the Moon's south polar region. The agency is eagerly awaiting the recharging of batteries and is hopeful of re-establishing contact with Vikram and Pragyan soon.

According to officials, Vikram and Pragyan were put into a sleep mode gradually starting from September 2.

The solar-powered batteries were left charged, and the solar panels were oriented to receive sunlight at dawn. The sunrise is a crucial factor as it will provide the necessary heat for the lander and rover to function.

In an ideal scenario, once commands are transmitted to the lander and rover to revive their systems, the rover will resume its movement across the lunar surface, and the lander's onboard equipment will continue collecting data.

ISRO Chairman S Somanath mentioned, "We can only hope to see the equipment back to life on September 22."

Since their successful landing on the lunar south pole on August 23, the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover have been conducting various experiments, such as measuring electron densities in the Moon's ionosphere and recording temperature readings of the lunar surface. The Pragyan rover even captured the first image of the Vikram lander on the Moon's surface.

However, lunar nightfall halted their operations as the solar-powered batteries couldn't sustain them in the absence of sunlight. The Chandrayaan-3 mission marked India's achievement as the fourth nation to land on the Moon's surface, with the distinction of being the first to land on the lunar south pole.

For more updates keep visiting our website www.topstoriesworld.com where we provide unbiased, true and top stories of the world.