Chandrayaan-3: Vikram lander performing hop experiment on Moon unplanned, says project director

Chandrayaan-3 latest news: Chandrayaan-3 project director P Veeramuthuvel on Tuesday said that the spacecraft’s Vikram lander performing a hop experiment on the Moon was unplanned and went over and above the mission’s stated objectives. Veeramuthuvel told India Today that the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover provided a lot of critical data during their 14-day research and exploration on the Moon’s surface.  

During the hop experiment, the Vikram lander fired its engines on command, elevated by about 40 centimetres as expected, and landed safely at a distance of 30-40 cms away from the original spot at Shiv Shakti Point. The successful hop experiment implies that a future mission could be developed that could return samples from Moon’s surface to India.  

Meanwhile, hopes for the revival of Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram Lander and Pragyan rover are even slimmer now as the lunar night has set in. Sunlight began receding on the Shiv Shakti Point on September 30, starting a lunar night. The lander and rover performed several experiments on the lunar surface and unearthed vital information in 14 Earth days or one lunar day before lunar night set in.  

Lunar night is a period of darkness on the Moon’s surface that lasts for approximately 14 days, leading to temperatures going down to as low as -180 degrees Celsius. Chandrayaan-3’s lander and rover depend on sunlight for their functioning. After accomplishing their initial tasks, the duo entered hibernation on September 2. Since then, several attempts have been made to revive Vikram lander and Pragyan rover.  

Soon after the lander and rover entered the sleep mode on the Moon’s surface, Veeramuthuvel said that the mission’s objective has been completely met and even exceeded expectations. “Our scientific objective is completely met and in fact, it exceeded our expectations and this is why we are all very happy. Our director of URSC and chairman ISRO and all centre directors who have been guiding us all are very satisfied,” Veeramuthuvel said.  

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