BENGALURU: A day after rolling down the Chandrayaan 3’s lander Vikram’s ramp and doing its first “moonwalk”, rover Pragyaan’s both payloads were turned on even as it completed a distance of eight metres. Pragyaan was deployed from the lander in the wee hours of Thursday.
In a statement on X, ISRO said, “All planned rover movements have been verified. The rover has successfully traversed a distance of about 8 metres. Rover payloads LIBS (Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope) and APXS Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer are turned on. All payloads on the propulsion module, lander and rover are performing nominally.” (Sic)
The space agency also shared a video on how the ramp on Vikram’s lander facilitated the roll-down for Pragyaan, besides how its solar panel was deployed. “A two-segment ramp facilitated the roll-down of the rover. A solar panel enabled the rover to generate power,” ISRO said.
Pragyaan is now functioning with two active payloads. The Alpha Particle X-ray spectrometer (APXS) will derive the chemical composition and infer mineralogical composition to further enhance our understanding of the lunar surface, while Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) will determine the elemental composition of the lunar soil and rocks around the lunar landing site.
Vikram’s payloads were turned on Thursday morning. The RAMBHA-LP (Langmuir Probe) has begun
measuring the near-surface plasma (ions and electrons) density and its changes with time.
ChaSTE measuring lunar thermal properties
The lander’s second payload, Chandra’s Surface Thermo-physical Experiment (ChaSTE) is carrying out measurements of thermal properties of the lunar surface near the polar region, while the third payload Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) is measuring seismicity around the landing site and delineating the structure of the lunar crust and mantle.
Meanwhile, a picture released by the official handle of the Chandrayaan 3 mission (LVM3-M4/Chandrayaan 3 Mission) has been doing the rounds wherein Chandrayaan 2’s orbiter Pradhan took a picture of lander Vikram from the Moon’s orbit. “I spy you! Chandrayaan 2 orbiter photoshoots Chandrayaan 3 Lander,” the post read.
Onboard the orbiter, which has been circling the Moon for the past four years, is the Orbiter High-Resolution Camera (OHRC) with the highest resolution among cameras on any of the orbiters currently operational around the Moon. The photograph shows a small lit object on the Moon, which is the lander Vikram gleaming in the sunlight on the lunar surface at the landing site.
The duration of the mission is one lunar day, which is 14 Earth days. The batteries in the lander and rover will be charged through solar power and will only last for 14 days as there will be no sun rays on the Moon from September 6 for the next 14 days. However, ISRO scientists hope to revive the lander and rover after September 20 when the next lunar sunrise occurs on the lunar south pole.
Governor honours team
Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot visited the ISRO centre and felicitated Chairman S Somanath and other scientists. He congratulated the Chandrayaan 3 team for their relentless pursuit of advancing space exploration and research.