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Chandrayaan-3: Are Vikram lander, Pragyan rover dead on the Moon? Here are the details so far

First Published: 25th September, 2023 18:54 IST

ISRO will continue its efforts to re-establish contact with the lander and rover until the next lunar sunset, slated for September 30

Despite repeated attempts, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has failed to establish any communication with the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover of the Chandrayaan-3 mission after both were put into sleep mode on September 2 after they successfully completed their initial tasks.

“Chandrayaan 3 Mission: 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,” ISRO wrote on X.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
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.
— ISRO (@isro) September 22, 2023

The Vikram lander and Pragyan rover, which are part of the Chandrayaan 3 mission, landed on the uncharted lunar southern polar region on August 23 after a 40-day journey through space.

The rover in a big discovery confirmed the presence of sulphur, iron, oxygen, and other elements on the moon.

According to India Today, ISRO will continue its efforts to re-establish contact with the lander and rover until the next lunar sunset, slated for September 30. The agency is still hopeful that the sun’s rise on Shivshakti Point, where the lander and rover are parked, will bring the equipment back to life.

However, according to Nilesh M. Desai, Director, Space Applications Centre (SAC), the revival of the lander and rover was to be automatic. As soon as there is a sunrise, the solar-powered lander and rover will get charged, and the rover and lander will get activated, which occurred on the lunar surface on September 22. However, no signals have been received so far.

Desai added that there is a 50-50 percent chance of revival if the electronics survive the cold temperature, and if not, the mission has already achieved its objectives.

If revived, the lander and rover will continue their scientific experiments on the moon’s surface.

Also Read: ISRO attempts to revive Pragyan Rover, Vikram Lander as dawn breaks on Moon

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