Chandrayaan-3 Mission: ISRO to send a wake-up call to Vikram lander, Pragyan rover today; all you need to know

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is poised to awaken the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover modules as part of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. These two lunar explorers have been in a deep slumber on the Moon's frigid surface, enduring temperatures plummeting to as low as -200 degrees Celsius since their successful landing on August 24.

ISRO's efforts to revive the operations of the lander and rover will begin today, with ground stations preparing for this crucial moment. The decision to initiate the awakening process will help these modules to send more valuable data back to ISRO.

Will the Vikram lander, Pragyan rover wake up?

The primary challenge facing Vikram and Pragyan lies in their power source—solar panels. These panels have the potential to generate power from the Sun, but the original mission design allotted a mere 14 Earth days for the operational lifespan of the rover and lander from the date of landing. Moreover, the electronic components onboard were not engineered to endure the Moon's extreme night-time cold, which could easily reach below -250 degrees Celsius, especially in the south pole region where Chandrayaan-3 touched down.

Space scientist Suvendu Patnayak told ANI that, “The Chandrayaan-3 landed successfully and it worked for almost 14 days. It was designed to work for 14 days (on the moon). Its life period was only 14 days because the moon's temperature falls down to (-) 250 degrees during the (lunar) nighttime. So it worked during the sun hours or daytime and during that it had already given all the data (it was supposed to)."

He further added, “It is very difficult for few electronic components to work in such a huge range of temperature. So it was expected it would not work after 14 days…But a few scientists are very hopeful that it may work again. So if it works again, it will be a boon for us and we will perform the same experiments again and again."

What will happen if Vikram and Pragyan wake up 

If Vikram and Pragyan indeed reawaken in full working order, they hold the promise of extending their mission for an additional 14 Earth days. This will give ISRO scientists an opportunity to gather further insights into the lunar landscape and surface.

Also read: Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander spotted by Chandrayaan-2 orbiter on Moon's South Pole; see pic

Also read: Chandrayaan-3: NASA shares unseen picture of Vikram lander on Moon spotted by its lunar orbiter