Chandrayaan-3 updates: ISRO on Friday released the video of how the Pragyaan rover rolled out from the belly of Vikram lander on 23 August historic day when the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft landed on Moon’s south polar region.
After a 40-day journey into space, the Chandrayaan-3 lander, ‘Vikram’, touched down on the uncharted lunar South Pole on Wednesday evening, making India the first country to do so. Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft’s lander module comprising the lander (Vikram) and the 26-kg rover (Pragyan) made the soft landing near the south polar region of the moon at 6.04 pm, less than a week after a similar Russian lander Luna-25 crashed.
Also read: ISRO releases pictures of Chandrayaan-3 lander taken from Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, deletes tweet later
The rover, named “Pragyan” which means “wisdom” in Sanskrit, has two instruments to conduct element and chemical composition experiments, and a robotic path planning exercise for future exploration.
Also read: Chandrayaan-3 latest update: ISRO says moon walk begins as Rover Pragyan rolls on
The six-wheeled, solar-powered rover will amble around the relatively unmapped region and transmit images and scientific data over a 14-day lifespan (one lunar daylight period).
The rover will carry out in-situ chemical analysis of the lunar surface during the course of its mobility. It would study the surface of the moon through its payload APXS – Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer – to derive the chemical composition and infer mineralogical composition to further enhance understanding of the lunar surface. Pragyan also has another payload–Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) to determine the elemental composition of lunar soil and rocks around the lunar landing site.
On the other hand, the Lander’s payload–RAMBHA-LP will measure the near-surface plasma (ions and electrons) density and its changes with time
ChaSTE Chandra’s Surface Thermo Physical Experiment will carry out the measurements of thermal properties of the lunar surface near the polar region.
The Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) will measure the seismicity and delineate the structure of the lunar crust and mantle.
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Updated: 25 Aug 2023, 12:19 PM IST