In keeping with India’s space mission statement, less than two weeks after its historic landing near the lunar south pole, India’s moon rover has completed its mission on the lunar surface and has been placed into sleep mode.
“The rover has completed its missions. “It is now safely parked and in sleep mode,” the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) announced late Saturday night as the sun set on that portion of the moon.
India’s Moon Rover Successfully Completes Mission
According to the statement, the rover’s payloads have been deactivated, and the valuable data it collected during its mission has been transmitted back to Earth via the lander.
Initially, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft and rover was anticipated to operate for just one lunar day or approximately 14 days on Earth.
The rover’s battery is currently wholly charged, and its solar panel is positioned to receive sunlight during the next lunar sunrise, expected to occur on September 22, 2023.
The receiver remains active in anticipation of a triumphant reawakening for subsequent duties.
However, official information has yet to be released regarding the outcome of the rover’s mission to detect evidence of frozen water on the lunar surface, which is crucial for future astronaut missions as a potential source of drinking water or rocket fuel production.
ISRO reported last week that the moon rover had successfully identified the presence of sulfur and other elements. In addition, the rover’s laser-induced spectroscope detected aluminum, iron, calcium, chromium, titanium, manganese, oxygen, and silicon on the surface of the moon.
One notable challenge confronting the Indian moon mission was the extreme cold temperatures during the lunar night, which can plummet to less than -120 degrees Celsius (-184 degrees Fahrenheit).
This extended lunar night lasts approximately 14 days on Earth. Pallava Bagla, a science writer and co-author of books on India’s space exploration, noted that the rover’s electronics were not designed to withstand such cold temperatures, making its reawakening improbable.
Bagla elaborated that the technology to produce electronic circuits and components that can withstand the extreme cold of the moon does not exist in India.
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Lunar Success Marks Milestone in Space Exploration and National Aspirations
India’s successful lunar mission follows an unsuccessful lunar landing attempt in 2019. India joins the United States, the Soviet Union, and China as the only other nations to have successfully landed on the moon with this accomplishment.
This achievement demonstrates India’s growing reputation as a technology and space powerhouse, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal of establishing India as a rising global champion in the space industry.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission began over a month ago and is expected to cost $75 million. India’s achievement is particularly significant in the context of lunar exploration, as it follows Russia’s recent Luna-25 mission, which targeted the same lunar region but ended in an uncontrolled orbit and crash landing.
This was Russia’s first attempt to land on the moon in 47 years.
Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, attributed the failure to a lack of expertise caused by a lengthy hiatus in lunar research since the last Soviet lunar mission in 1976.
Since the 1960s, India has been active in space exploration, launching satellites for its use and other nations, and in 2014, successfully placing a satellite in orbit around Mars.
Together with the United States, the government is preparing for its inaugural mission to the International Space Station, scheduled for next year.
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