Chandrayaan-3: ‘It’s OK if it doesn’t wake up,’ says ISRO Chief S Somanath, unperturbed by lander, rover’s slumber

While to the layman the powering down of rover Pragyan might be a cause of concern, to ISRO Chief S Somanath it is not a problem if it does not wake up. Somanath’s statement comes after the space agency said last week that efforts to establish communication with lander Vikram and rover Pragyan have yielded no results. 

The ISRO chief told reporters: “It is OK if it does not wake up because the rover has done what it was expected to do.”

Pragyan is currently in sleep mode on the lunar surface and could wake up if its electronic circuits have not been damaged due to the extreme weather. The temperature on the lunar surface drops to nearly -200 degree Celsius. 

The lander and the rover were put to sleep ahead of the lunar night to preserve themselves from the harsh weather conditions. 

Also read: Chandrayaan-3: Chinese scientist claims India's Moon landing was nowhere near lunar south pole

After ISRO’s revelation, netizens took to social media to send their prayers and wishes for the lander and the rover to wake up. X, formerly Twitter, was replete with wishes from desi netizens who prayed for the well-being of the lander and the rover. 

But ISRO, unfazed by Pragyan and Vikram’s sleep mode, has its eyes set on the next missions. For instance, Gaganyaan mission's test vehicle `D1' will be launched in October. 

The space agency is gearing up for XPoSat or X-ray Polarimeter Satellite launch in November or December, S Somanath confirmed. XPoSat will be launched through the PSLV rocket, with a mission to study black holes, nebulas and pulsars. 

The other mission in the pipeline is INSAT-3DS, a climate satellite, expected to be launched in December. The third launch, to be done in November or December, is SSLV D3, followed by the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar or NISAR in February. 

Also read: Chandrayaan-3: What will happen to Vikram lander, Pragyan rover over time? 

Also read: Chandrayaan-3: ‘It’s time to wake up,' say netizens as ISRO finds no signals yet from Vikram, Pragyan

Also watch: Chandrayaan-3: As Vikram and Pragyan refuse to restart, here are some other rovers and landers sleeping on the Moon’s surface