Indian moonwalker “fell asleep” and may never wake up

On August 23, India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission delivered the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover to the lunar surface. Now that the lunar day ends in two weeks, the rover’s mission may be over. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) put Pragyan to sleep.

We’re used to rover missions lasting years, mostly thanks to NASA’s rovers. However, these rovers have MMRTG (multi-task radioisotope thermoelectric generator) power plants that have been operating for years. They are also very expensive, whereas the Chandrayaan-3 mission cost only $75 million.

However, Pragyan relies on solar energy and a moonlit night begins.

Pragyan has transmitted all the data of his short mission and is currently in sleep mode. The temperature on the lunar surface will drop significantly to -120C (-184F), and the spacecraft’s electronics are not designed to withstand this. But the battery is charged and the receiver is still on. There is some hope that he may be awakened after dark and resume his duties on 22 September.

The mission’s engineering goals were to land safely on the Moon and demonstrate the rover’s ability to travel on the Moon. The mission achieved these goals. From a science perspective, the mission’s goals were to detect water ice and characterize the structure of the lunar regolith. For this he has a spectrometer and a spectroscope. Their measurements will also contribute to our understanding of the effects of the Moon and the evolution of the Moon’s atmosphere.

ISRO has released some data about the mission. Temperature measurements taken by the lander showed a distinct difference between temperatures just above and just below the surface. The surface temperature was 50 C, and a few millimeters below the surface it was -10 C.

This is the first time temperatures have been measured near the South Pole, confirming what other missions have found elsewhere on the moon. The top layer of regolith acts as an insulator and conducts heat poorly.

The mission also discovered sulfur at the South Pole. It has been found elsewhere on the Moon, but this is the first time it has been found at the South Pole. It was also detected for the first time using in situ measurements. The rest of the mission’s data will determine the overall outcome of its science objectives, and Indian scientists will be the first to learn about them before the data is made available to international scientists.

India attempted to land on the moon in 2019 but failed, so this achievement must be extremely satisfying for ISRO employees. With this success, they became the fourth country to experience lunar success, after the United States, the Soviet Union and China. India sees itself as a great nation and this success will further strengthen this perception. It probably doesn’t hurt that this occurred shortly after Russia failed to land the Luna-25 spacecraft. India and Russia have been traditional allies since the Cold War, but India is enjoying success while Russia is learning to live with failure.

This achievement contributes to increasing India’s capabilities in space missions. They have launched many satellites for themselves and other countries, and their Mangalyaan Mars Orbiter has been operational for 7.5 years. They are also about to launch their first mission to the ISS in collaboration with NASA.

ISRO is also planning a joint Moon mission with Japan called Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX). LUPEX will also include another lander/rover mission to the Moon’s South Pole. Interestingly, the European Space Agency plans to send the L-band Exospheric Mass Spectrometer (EMS-L) to the LUPEX mission. It was originally planned to go to the moon as part of the Russian Luna-25 mission, but ESA no longer cooperates with Russia.

There is still a chance that Pragyan will wake up when night falls. The sun will return on September 22 and ISRO hopes the lander will be able to continue its mission. If ISRO succeeds and can awaken Pragyan, it will contribute to the success of the mission. Source