Chandrayaan 3 - Will Pragyan Rover Wake Up Again? - Chandrayaan 3 is India's elite lunar mission which made India the first country ever to achieve a successful soft landing on the south pole of the Moon. Vikram lander of Chandrayaan 3 soft-landed on the Moon's surface on August 23rd, 2023 at 6.04 pm. With this, India became the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon. The US, the former USSR and China. To commemorate this remarkable feat, PM Modi announced National Space Day to be celebrated each year on August 23rd. Chandrayaan 3 showcased India's technological power in advanced lunar exploration.
Latest Update:
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.
Chandrayaan 3 Timeline
Chandrayaan 3 was launched at 2.35 pm on July 14, 2023 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Shri Hari Kota, Andhra Pradesh.
The soft landing was made by Vikram Lander at 6.04 pm, about 600 km from the Moon’s south pole.
As per ISRO’s official website and Twitter page, the timeline of Chandrayaan-3 mission so far:
| Chandrayaan-3 Launch | July 14, 2023 |
| 1st Earth-bound Maneuver | July 15, 2023 |
| 2nd Earth-bound Maneuver | July 17, 2023 |
| 3rd Earth-bound Maneuver | July 18, 2023 |
| 4th Earth-bound Maneuver | July 20, 2023 |
| 5th Earth-bound Maneuver | July 25, 2023 |
| Trans-lunar Injection | July 31/August 1, 2023 |
| Lunar Orbit Insertion / 1st Lunar Bound Maneuver | August 5, 2023 |
| 2nd Lunar-Bound Maneuver | August 6, 2023 |
| 3rd Lunar-Bound Maneuver | August 9, 2023 |
| 4th Lunar-Bound Maneuver | August 14, 2023 |
| 5th Lunar-Bound Maneuver | August 16, 2023 |
| 1st Lander Deorbit Maneuver | August 18, 2023 |
| 2nd Lander Deorbit Maneuver | August 19, 2023 |
| Vikram Rover Landing | August 23, 2023 |
| Pragyan Rover Deployment | August 24, 2023 |
| Pragyan Rover Asleep | September 2, 2023 |
| Vikram Lander ‘Hop’ and Soft Landing | September 3, 2023 (not updated officially by ISRO) |
| Vikram Rover Asleep | September 4, 2023 |
| Pragyan and Vikram Awake Again | September 22, 2023 (tentatively) |
Vikram Lander Hops on Moon
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On September 3, 2023, Vikram lander underwent a hop experiment successfully and exceeded its objectives. ISRO had shared this latest update about the Chandryaan 3 Vikram lander, via its official Twitter handle.
The Vikram lander fired its engines on command and elevated itself by about 40 cm and then landed safely at a distance of 30-40 cm away from the original position. All the systems within the rover performed well. Later, the ramp was deployed, ChaSTE and ILSA were folded back and deployed successfully.
Why is Vikram Lander’s Second Soft Landing Important?
The ‘kick-start’ or the hop of Vikram lander is an important milestone because it spurs the possibility of using it in future to bring samples back to the Earth or even for human missions.
Pragyan Rover Put To Sleep
On September 2, 2023, ISRO shared that Pragyan Rover had completed its assignments and was safely parked and set in sleep mode. While its APXS and LIBS payloads are turned off, its receiver is kept on.
When Will Pragyan Rover Wake Up Again?
Unlike the Earth where a day is about 24 hours long with about 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness, on the Moon, a day is about 29 days long!
As per NASA's Moon Tracker, the recent lunar sunset began on September 4 at the Shiv Shakti Point. NASA's tracker anticipates the next lunar sunrise at the south pole of the Moon around September 22. Thus, it is expected that the Pragyan rover will wake up again on September 22, 2023.
Why is Sunlight Important for Pragyan Rover Chandrayaan 3?
Pragyan rover’s battery is solar-powered. Hence, its solar panel has been oriented to receive the solar light at the next sunrise on the south pole of the Moon, which is expected on September 22, 2023. Also, when Pragyan rover was put in sleep mode, its battery was left fully charged.
Challenges in Waking Up Pragyan and Vikram Lander Again
“Hoping for a successful awakening for another set of assignments! Else, it will forever stay there as India's lunar ambassador”, ISRO mentioned in its official tweet.
A day on the Moon is about 14 earth days and the night on Moon is also about 14 earth nights long.
During these 14 days of darkness, the Moon’s south pole will not be facing the Sun. The temperature on the Moon’s surface during these two weeks went as low as -200 degrees Celius.
Thus, only if the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover can withstand these freezing conditions on the Moon, they are expected to wake up again.
Importance of Chandrayaan-3: What Students and Youth of India Must Understand
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Chandrayaan-3 inspires and educates, boosting national and international prestige, showcasing India's space capabilities and commitment to space exploration. The lunar south pole was a territory never explored before. India is the first country to make a successful soft landing on the south pole of the Moon. India is now the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon after the US, former USSR and China.
Chandrayaan-3 is important to ISRO and India for several reasons. Chandrayaan 3 became a successful successor to Chandrayaan-2. Pragyan rover conducted various in-situ scientific discoveries about the Moon's geology. The successful Chandrayaan 3 mission will also be instrumental in driving technological advancements with potential applications beyond lunar exploration.