India’s lunar rover has concluded its mission on the moon’s surface and has been placed into sleep mode, less than two weeks after its historic landing near the lunar south pole, according to India’s space mission.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) stated on Saturday that “the rover completes its assignments. It is now safely parked and set into sleep mode” as daylight on that part of the moon is coming to an end.
The rover’s instruments have been powered down, and the data it collected has been transmitted to Earth via the lander. The Chandrayaan-3 lander and rover were originally intended to operate for just one lunar day, equivalent to 14 Earth days.
The ISRO reported that the rover’s battery is fully charged, and its solar panel is positioned to receive light at the next lunar sunrise, expected on September 22, 2023. The receiver remains on in the hopes of a successful reactivation for another set of tasks.
No information was provided regarding the rover’s search for frozen water on the lunar surface, which could be crucial for future astronaut missions, serving as a potential source of drinking water and rocket fuel.
Earlier in the week, the rover confirmed the presence of sulfur and detected several other elements on the moon’s surface. These included aluminum, iron, calcium, chromium, titanium, manganese, oxygen, and silicon, as reported by the Indian space agency.
The lunar night on the moon’s surface can be extremely cold, dropping to temperatures below minus 120 degrees Celsius (-184 degrees Fahrenheit) during the nighttime, which can last up to 14 Earth days. This extreme cold presents a challenge for the rover’s electronics, which are not designed to withstand such low temperatures.
Pallava Bagla, a science writer and co-author of books on India’s space exploration, mentioned that the rover has limited battery power. He explained that while the data is back on Earth and will be analyzed, the rover’s chances of reawakening at lunar sunrise are uncertain due to the harsh cold conditions.
Bagla noted that the technology to create electronic circuits and components capable of surviving the moon’s deep cold temperatures does not currently exist in India.
India’s successful lunar mission comes after a failed attempt in 2019 and now places India among a select group of countries, including the United States, the Soviet Union, and China, that have achieved lunar landings.
This achievement showcases India’s growing prominence in technology and space exploration, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal of projecting India as an emerging global power. The mission, which began more than a month ago, had an estimated cost of $75 million.
The success of India’s mission contrasts with Russia’s recent failure. Russia’s Luna-25, which aimed for the same lunar region, entered an uncontrolled orbit and crashed. This was intended to be Russia’s first successful lunar landing in 47 years, and its failure was attributed to a lack of expertise due to the long hiatus in lunar research following the last Soviet moon mission in 1976.
India has been active in space exploration since the 1960s, launching satellites for both itself and other countries. In 2014, India successfully placed a satellite into orbit around Mars and is now planning its first mission to the International Space Station in collaboration with the United States next year.
Source: AP