Chandrayaan-3: ISRO yet to hear from Moon lander

• No signals have been received from them so far.
• ISRO is attempting to establish communication with the modules.
• There is a possibility that the extreme cold of the lunar night may have damaged the batteries.

India’s space agency, ISRO, is currently attempting to establish communication with its Moon lander and rover as a new lunar day begins.

Unfortunately, no signals have been received from them so far.

Back in August, the lander, carrying the rover within it, successfully touched down near the Moon’s relatively unexplored south pole.

They spent two weeks gathering valuable data and images before being placed in ‘sleep mode’ as lunar night fell.

ISRO had hoped that the batteries would recharge and the modules would reawaken as the Sun rose around September 22nd.

However, there is a possibility that the extreme cold of the lunar night may have damaged the batteries. ISRO recently posted on social media that their “efforts to establish communication with the Vikram lander and Pragyaan rover will continue.”

India achieved a significant milestone with the Chandrayaan-3 mission, becoming the first country to successfully land a spacecraft near the lunar south pole.

This accomplishment placed India in the exclusive group of nations that have achieved soft landings on the Moon, joining the ranks of the US, the former Soviet Union, and China.

The timing of the landing was meticulously planned to coincide with the start of a lunar day, providing Vikram and Pragyaan with two weeks of sunlight to carry out their operations.

A lunar day lasts a little over four weeks on Earth, with approximately 14 days of daylight and 14 days of night.

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ISRO has been diligently providing updates on the progress and discoveries of these lunar explorers and has shared captivating images captured by them.

While there is hope for their reawakening, the extreme nighttime temperatures near the lunar south pole, which can drop to as low as -200°C to -250°C (-328°F to -418°F), pose a significant challenge for the batteries, which are not designed to operate or endure such extreme conditions.

ISRO has cautioned against setting overly optimistic expectations, stating that if Vikram and Pragyaan do not reactivate, they will remain on the Moon, serving as India’s lunar ambassadors.