Chandrayaan-3 update: ISRO says Pragyan rover put into ‘sleep mode’ on Moon, hopes to wake it up on Sept 22

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said on Saturday that the Pragyan rover of Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon has been put to sleep. The Space Agency is hoping to wake the rover up 14 days later, on September 22, 2023.

The Pragyan rover is loaded with two payloads; the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) and the Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS). ISRO said that the payloads that transmit data to the Earth via the lander are turned off.

Just in case, if the Pragyan rover does not have a "successful awakening", it will stay on the Moon forever as India's lunar ambassador.

Sharing the latest update of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, ISRO wrote on X (Formerly known as Twitter), “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.”

“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 added.

The Pragyan rover and the Vikram lander had been working in tandem to gather valuable scientific data. The APXS and LIBS payloads are designed to analyse the elemental and mineralogical composition of the lunar soil and rocks.

Working together in tandem, the Pragyan rover and the Vikram lander are gathering valuable scientific data. The APXS and LIBS payloads are specially designed to analyse the elemental and mineralogical composition of the lunar soil and rocks.

The Pragyan rover was rolled out on the Moon after the successful landing of the Vikram lander on August 23. Till now, the rover has confirmed the presence of sulphur, iron, oxygen, and other elements on the moon. 

Launched on July 14, the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission marked India as the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface.

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