• By Mayukh Debnath
  • Sun, 03 Sep 2023 08:05 AM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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The Pragyan rover of Chandrayaan-3 lunar exploration mission has went into sleep mode after the completion of its mission objectives on the Moon's surface, ISRO annnounced late on Saturday. This came as the Sun set on the natural satellite, starting a 14-day lunar night cycle. Chandrayaan-3's 'Pragyan' and Vikram lander are solar-powered, and hence need sunlight to operate.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the national space agency said, "The Rover completed its assignments. It is now safely parked and set into Sleep mode. APXS and LIBS payloads are turned off. Data from these payloads is transmitted to the Earth via the Lander."

The space agency also informed that the next sunrise is expected on September 22, 2023, and said it hoped for a successful awakening of 'Pragyan' for another set of assignments. "Currently, the battery is fully charged. The solar panel is oriented to receive the light at the next sunrise expected on September 22, 2023. The receiver is kept on. Hoping for a successful awakening for another set of assignments! Else, it will forever stay there as India's lunar ambassador," ISRO said.

Since its rolldown on the lunar surface, Chandrayaan-3's rover transversed over 100 meters from the Shiv Shakti Point, the touchdown spot of the Vikram lander on the Moon.

Earlier on Thursday, ISRO said that the Pragyan Rover module of the Vikram lander has recorded a natural event on the south pole of the moon.

"Chandrayaan-3 Mission: In-situ Scientific Experiments Instrument for the Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) payload on Chandrayaan 3 Lander -- the first Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology-based instrument on the moon -- has recorded the movements of Rover and other payloads. Additionally, it has recorded an event, appearing to be a natural one, on August 26, 2023. The source of this event is under investigation," ISRO said in a post on X.

(With inputs from ANI)