ISRO Attempts to Wake Chandrayaan-3 Lander and Rover from Hibernation after Lunar Night
Engineers at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) are working diligently to establish communication with the Chandrayaan-3 lunar lander and rover after their two-week hibernation during the lunar night. The ISRO made attempts to wake up the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover on Friday, but they have yet to receive a response.
“Efforts to establish contact will continue,” ISRO confirmed in a post on X, its official Twitter account. The Vikram lander and Pragyan rover are the first two human-made objects to land in the moon’s south polar region, making their recovery of particular importance.
Chandrayaan-3 made headlines on August 23 when it successfully landed near the lunar south pole, making India the fourth nation in history to achieve such a feat after the U.S., Russia, and China. In the two weeks that followed, the Pragyan rover explored the landing site and captured valuable images, while the Vikram lander conducted scientific experiments, including measuring the temperature of the lunar regolith’s top layer.
Moreover, the Vikram lander also studied the chemical composition of lunar dust and discovered traces of sulfur, which could provide valuable insights into past volcanic activity on the Moon. With these significant accomplishments, ISRO hopes that both spacecraft have been able to survive the extreme conditions of the frosty lunar night.
The Pragyan rover was deactivated on September 2, as all of its instruments were turned off. The Vikram lander followed suit two days later. Despite completing their primary mission goals, ISRO remains optimistic about the possibility of re-establishing communication with the duo.
Chandrayaan-3 represents India’s second attempt at landing on the moon, following the unsuccessful Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2019, which ended in a crash due to a software glitch. However, the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter is still actively studying the moon from lunar orbit.
As ISRO continues their efforts to wake up the Chandrayaan-3 lander and rover, the world eagerly awaits news of their successful revival. The potential for further scientific discoveries and insights into the moon’s mysteries grows with each passing moment.