Chandrayaan-3: ISRO Puts Pragyan Rover on Sleep Mode As It Completes Assignments

Bengaluru: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Saturday that the Pragyan rover on the Moon has been put to sleep. ISRO intends to revive the rover after a 14-day rest period.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
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…

— ISRO (@isro) September 2, 2023

The Pragyan rover is equipped with two essential scientific instruments: the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) and the Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS). Currently, both instruments are offline, and data transmission to Earth through the lander has ceased.

ISRO has strategically positioned the rover’s solar panel to maximize sunlight exposure during the upcoming lunar sunrise on September 22, 2023, ensuring sufficient power for reactivation.

Should the reawakening process fail, the Pragyan rover will remain on the Moon indefinitely, serving as India’s lunar representative.

The Pragyan rover and the Vikram lander cooperated to gather significant scientific data. The APXS and LIBS instruments were specifically designed to analyze the elemental and mineralogical composition of lunar soil and rocks.

Following the successful landing of the Vikram lander, the Pragyan rover embarked on its lunar exploration journey. During its mission, it confirmed the presence of elements such as sulphur, iron, and oxygen on the Moon’s surface. The rover’s remarkable 100-meter journey is a testament to ISRO’s comprehensive capabilities in safe lunar landing and surface roving.

In a milestone achievement, Chandrayaan-3 made a successful soft landing on the Moon’s surface on August 23, 2023, solidifying India’s position as the fourth country to accomplish this remarkable feat.