“The Rover completed its assignments. It is now safely parked and set into Sleep mode. APXS and LIBS payloads are turned off. Data from these payloads is transmitted to the Earth via the Lander,” the space agency said.
Elevate Your Tech Process with High-Value Skill Courses
| Offering College | Course | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Northwestern University | Kellogg Post Graduate Certificate in Product Management | Visit |
| Indian School of Business | ISB Professional Certificate in Digital Marketing | Visit |
| Indian School of Business | ISB Applied Business Analytics | Visit |
| Northwestern University | Kellogg Post Graduate Certificate in Digital Marketing | Visit |
Currently, the battery is fully charged. The solar panel is oriented to receive the light at the next sunrise expected on September 22, 2023. The receiver is kept on.
“Hoping for a successful awakening for another set of assignments! Else, it will forever stay there as India’s lunar ambassador,” ISRO said in its poignant note.
ISRO chief S Somanath during his address earlier in the day had said, “the rover has moved almost 100 metres from the lander and we are going to start the process of making both of them sleep in the coming one or two days because it has to withstand the night”.
Discover the stories of your interest
ISRO’s project objective of getting scientific data for one lunar day has been achieved. Vikram and Pragyan are solar-powered and designed to operate during sunlit periods, when temperatures in the polar area are upwards of 54°C. When the Sun sets, temperatures could go as low as -203°C and systems on the lander and rover do not get any power to stay on.
When sunlight comes back, there’s an autonomous logic pre-loaded on both the lander and rover. Once there is sufficient solar regeneration, they are expected to come back to life provided that they have survived the night.
