The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is on an endeavor to restore communication with two of its interstellar devices, the Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover from Chandrayaan-3 mission that were put to sleep-mode in the early part of this month.
ISRO stated on September 2 on X (previously Twitter) that the Pragyan rover had fulfilled all of its tasks on the Moon and was currently “parked safely and set into sleep mode.”
“APXS and LIBS payloads are turned off. Data from these payloads is transmitted to the Earth via the Lander. Currently, the battery is fully charged. The solar panel is oriented to receive the light at the next sunrise expected on September 22, 2023. The receiver is kept on,” the space agency said.
The Vikram lander was likewise shut off after completing a short “hop” and “exceeding its mission objectives.”
The two modules were put to sleep during the lunar night, which is approximately 14 days on Earth.
When putting them to sleep, ISRO had foretold the probability of this permanent rest, stating that if they failed to wake up, they would “forever stay there as India’s lunar ambassador”.
“Hoping for a successful awakening for another set of assignments! Else, it will forever stay there as India’s lunar ambassador,” wrote the space agency.
On September 22, when the lunar sunrise was scheduled, the ISRO stated that it attempted, but failed, to make contact with the rover and lander.
“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,” the ISRO said in a post on X.
Experts are hopeful that the rover and lander will awaken with the daylight, following China’s lunar lander Chang’e-4 and rover Yutu-2, which began operating again after surviving their maiden lunar night in 2019.
In a recent interview with the BBC, former ISRO Chairman AS Kiran Kumar has shared concerns over the survival of the Chandrayaan-3’s lander and rover due to the Moon’s extreme cold temperatures.
According to Kumar, the Chandrayaan-3 mission’s batteries are not designed to withstand such extreme temperatures that can plummet to between -200 and -250 degrees Celsius, raising serious uncertainties about their functionality and operability under such conditions.
According to former ISRO scientist Tapan Mishra, the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover were originally meant to function for only 14 days.
He stated that if they survive the first lunar night, they will be able to endure more nights. “If it survives one lunar night, I’m sure it will survive many more lunar nights and it may probably operate from 6 months to one year. That will be a great thing,” Mishra said.
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