Chandrayaan-3 mission: ‘Pragyan’ rover has rolled out from ‘Vikram’ lander said ISRO on Thursday morning. The Indian Space Research Organisation asserted India took a walk on the Moon moments after the rover touched the surface of the south pole of the Moon.
“Chandrayaan-3 ROVER: Made in India, Made for the MOON! The Ch-3 Rover ramped down from the Lander and India took a walk on the moon ! More updates soon,” posted ISRO on X, formerly Twitter.
“First photo of Rover coming out of the lander on the ramp”, posted Pawan K Goenka, Chairman of INSPACe on X.
The development comes hours after Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander made a successful soft landing on the south pole of the Moon creating history.
Comprising the lander (Vikram) and the rover (Pragyan), the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 touched down on the lunar south pole at 6.04 pm, propelling the country to an exclusive club of four and making it the first country to land on the uncharted surface. Rover Pragyan started the study of the lunar surface after 12:30 am in the night. Payload i.e. scientific instruments on the rover are continuously working and studying the surface of the moon, said officials.
How rover rolled out
After opening the doors of the lander, the rover, which was still sleeping inside the lander, was woken up in the wee hours and was taken out with the help of a ramp, during which it was tied to the lander through an umbilical cord, so that he could not jump but slowly from the ramp and can get down. Rover’s solar panel activated in the sunlight as soon as it stepped out of the ramp, the battery inside it started charging, Pragyan also became fully active as soon as the battery was charged, its cameras turned on, scientific instruments started sending signals Gave, they added. After checking all the equipment, the rover was slowly lowered on the lunar surface and then the umbilical cord was cut, thus it stepped on the lunar surface.
What next for the rover?
“For the next 13 days, Pragyan will conduct all the tests while walking on the lunar surface 500 meters away from the lander and all the information will be received through the lander to the scientists sitting at the ISRO Command Center in Bengaluru. Scientists sitting at ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Center have started getting information from Pragyan Rover and the team of scientists is engaged in decoding this information,” officials said.
People across the country erupted with joy as news spread about the successful landing of the Vikram lander. From President Droupadi Murmu to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in South Africa to participate BRICS summit, to commoners, everyone expressed their happiness and witnessed the historic moment.
PM Modi calls ISRO chief S Somanath
Immediately after the success of Chandrayaan-3 PM Modi telephoned ISRO chief S Somanath and congratulated him. While addressing virtually from Johannesburg, PM Modi said that India is now on the moon and the success belongs to all humanity.
“Somanath ji…your name Somanath too is linked to the Moon. Your family members too would be elated. Hearty congratulations to you and your team,” the prime minister said in a phone call from Johannesburg, where he is attending the BRICS summit. The prime minister called the ISRO chief immediately after successful landing of Chandrayaan. “Please convey my greetings to everyone. If possible, I would personally greet you very soon,” the prime minister said.
“The Honourable PM called me and conveyed his greetings to each one of you and your family for the wonderful work you did in ISRO. Thanks to him for the support he is giving to us for missions like Chandrayaan-3 and missions that are in the offing. That’s the great word of comfort that we are receiving for pursuing the inspirational work that we are doing for the nation,” Somanath said after PM Modi called him.
