We have gone a long way into the abyss of the universe, beholding one marvellous celestial body after another. However, it’s the body closest to Earth that has lured astronomers and astronauts through the ages to unravel its mysteries -- the Moon.
The Moon is 4,05,500 km away from the Earth, and has been a focal point for interstellar exploration for most space-faring nations. Many are familiar with NASA’s Apollo 11 mission on July 16, 1969, on which the first humans landed on the lunar surface. However, there were 14 Apollo missions in all, between 1961 and 1972.
Meanwhile, the Soviets were the first to reach the Moon, when their Luna 2 craft was intentionally impacted on it on September 13, 1959. India’s ISRO has undertaken two missions to the Moon -- Chandrayaan 1 and Chandrayaan 2 -- so far, and is scheduled to launch the Chandrayaan 3 on July 13, this year. While a host of orbiters, satellites, and other spacecraft have undertaken missions to the Moon, the rovers, on wheels, which nimbly traverse the lunar grounds, have come to play a very important role.
A lunar rover or Moon rover is a space exploration vehicle designed to move across the lunar surface. These vehicles could be manned, remote-controlled, or may run based on a pre-set software configuration or on AI. Over the years, the Moon has hosted the Apollo Program’s manned Lunar Roving Vehicle, and partially or fully autonomous robot rovers -- like the USSR’s Lunokhods and China’s Yutus.
Meanwhile, India’s Pragyan failed after its lander ‘Vikram’ crashed on the Moon’s surface on September 6, 2019.
However, a rover named ‘Pragyan’ will be re-launched through Chandrayaan 3. A lunar rover is carried to the Moon on a launch vehicle, from where a lander transports it to the lunar surface. On landing, the rover is able to move around on wheels made of steel-wire mesh.
They study the topography, geology, and overall environment of the money for a predetermined period. Some rovers also possess robotic arms to collect and store samples of Moon rock and soil, to bring back to the Earth.
While some are battery powered, others utilise solar panels to harness the Sun’s energy, which then powers the wheels, sensors, and other critical components. Throughout their missions, rovers are constantly watched over and commandeered by teams on Earth, becoming our eyes and ears in the worlds beyond.