Chandrayaan-3 Update: Vikram, Pragyan Still In Sleep Mode; Efforts To Reestablish Communication Continues, Says ISRO

The Vikram lander and Pragyan rover were launched as part of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, which successfully landed on the moon on August 24.

New Delhi: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) attempted to reestablish communication with Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander and Pragyan rover on Friday, but no signals have been received from the lunar explorers so far. Nevertheless, ISRO has been continuously working to establish communication with both modules to continue the already successful moon mission. Both Vikram and Pragyan were designed to operate for a brief period of 14 Earth days, which they successfully completed, during which they transmitted valuable data back to the Indian space agency. After 14 days, ISRO scientists put both the lander and the rover into sleep mode due to the extreme cold conditions on the lunar surface.

ISRO took to X (formerly Twitter) and informed about the latest development regarding the moon mission.

“Efforts have been made to establish communication with the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover to ascertain their wake-up condition. As of now, no signals have been received from them. Efforts to establish contact will continue,” Isro informed.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
Efforts have been made to establish communication with the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover to ascertain their wake-up condition.

As of now, no signals have been received from them.

Efforts to establish contact will continue.

— ISRO (@isro) September 22, 2023

Notably, The waking attempt is also testing the durability of the lander and rover, assessing their ability to withstand the frigid temperatures of the lunar night. If both Chandrayaan-3’s modules get activated, then it will be an extension to the already successful moon mission of the country.

Director of Space Applications Centre (Gujarat), Nilesh Desai stated that both the modules will automatically revive and send signals. Scientists are trying to reestablish a contact with the rover and the lander.

“…Efforts are on to establish a contact with the Lander and the Rover. It will automatically revive and send signals. Till now, no signals have come…It has a 50-50 chance if the electronics survive the cold temperature…otherwise, the mission has already done its job..,” Desai said.

On Friday, former ISRO Chairman K. Sivan stated that the nation must ‘wait and see.’ He said that if all the systems and equipment function properly, waking both modules should not pose a significant challenge for the scientists. However, Sivan also mentioned that the electrical equipment inside the rover and the lander can be damaged due to extreme cold in the south pole.

“We have to wait and see. They have endured a lunar night, and now the lunar day begins. They will attempt to awaken it. If all systems are functioning, it will be fine… This is not the end; many new discoveries will come. Even Chandrayaan-1’s data has led to numerous findings. So, I believe many more new insights will emerge. Scientists will continue to strive. This is not the end of the story,” Sivan said.”

Earlier, Union Minister of State for Science & Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh stated in the Rajya Sabha that scientists are waiting for the wake-up call to activate Vikram and Pragyan’s response. “The second phase of Chandrayaan-3 is about to begin in the next few hours… We are eagerly awaiting the wake-up call and the response from Vikram and Pragyan… Then communication from Earth will commence, and we will be the first in the world to achieve this,” he stated.”

Vikram, Pragyaan on ‘Sleep Mode’

Vikram and Pragyaan were gradually put into sleep mode starting on September 2. Both modules had fully charged batteries when they were put to sleep, and their solar panels were oriented to receive light at dawn.

The Indian space agency reported on September 4 that the data collected by the payloads were transmitted to the Earth and the payloads were currently powered off.

“Vikram Lander is set into sleep mode around 08:00 Hrs. IST today. Prior to that, in-situ experiments by ChaSTE, RAMBHA-LP and ILSA payloads are performed at the new location. The data collected is received at the Earth. Payloads are now switched off. Lander receivers are kept ON. Vikram will fall asleep next to Pragyan once the solar power is depleted and the battery is drained. Hoping for their awakening, around September 22, 2023,” ISRO posted on X.

Vikram Hopped on Moon

Before putting Vikram to sleep, ISRO executed a command for the Lander to reignite its engines, which it accomplished, landing just 30-40 cm from its target. The Indian space agency shared this achievement on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). This achievement is a major boost for future sample return missions and potential human expeditions to the moon. The successful execution of the hop experiment demonstrates the lander’s ability to move and navigate the lunar terrain, a critical capability for future exploratory missions.

The accomplishment in Vikram Lander’s hop experiment represented a significant milestone in India’s space exploration endeavours. It not only highlights the country’s technological prowess but also paves the way for more ambitious lunar missions in the future. As ISRO continues to analyze the valuable data transmitted by the Vikram Lander, the world anticipates further groundbreaking achievements from this pioneering lunar mission.

Importantly, this achievement sets the stage for future sample return and human missions, igniting enthusiasm for the next phase of lunar exploration! All systems performed as expected and remain in good health. The deployed RAMBHA, ChaSTE, and ILSA were folded back and redeployed successfully after the experiment.