New Delhi: The Pragyan rover of the Chandrayaan-3 mission has successfully completed its assigned tasks, as reported by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) today. ISRO took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce that the rover has been securely parked and put into sleep mode.
“Currently, the battery is fully charged. The solar panel is oriented to receive light at the next sunrise expected on September 22, 2023. The receiver is kept on,” ISRO said.
“Hoping for a successful awakening for another set of assignments. Else, it will forever stay there as India’s lunar ambassador,” the space agency said.
Weighing 26 kilograms and powered by solar energy, Pragyan is a six-wheeled rover equipped with scientific instruments designed to analyze the composition of lunar soil and rocks in the southern polar region, where Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander touched down.
ISRO noted that the APXS (Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer) and LIBS (Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) payloads have been deactivated, with data from these instruments being transmitted to Earth through the Vikram lander.
The APXS instrument is particularly well-suited for on-site analysis of the elemental composition of soil and rocks on planetary bodies with minimal atmospheres, such as the Moon. It has revealed the presence of intriguing minor elements, including sulfur, in addition to the expected major elements such as aluminum, silicon, calcium, and iron.
The Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) instrument onboard the rover has already confirmed the presence of sulfur in the lunar soil.
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