India’s space agency, ISRO, recently achieved a significant milestone in space exploration. ISRO proudly announced the successful deployment of the Pragyan rover from the Vikram lander on the moon’s surface.

Pawan K Goenka, Chairman of INSPACe and the Department of Space, as well as Chairman of SCALE and DPIIT, shared exciting news regarding the Chandrayaan-3 mission. He revealed the first glimpses of the Rover Pragyan as it emerged from the lander onto the lunar terrain.

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Over the next two weeks, the six-wheeled rover is set to conduct various experiments on the moon’s surface. Both the Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover are designed for a mission duration equivalent to one lunar day, which equals 14 Earth days.

Also Read: What is Vikram Lander?

The lander’s cargo includes the RAMBHA-LP (Langmuir Probe), which will measure the density of near-surface plasma, including ions and electrons, along with their temporal variations. Additionally, the ChaSTE (Chandra’s Surface Thermo Physical Experiment) will perform thermal property measurements of the lunar surface, particularly in its polar region.

At precisely 6:04 PM, Chandrayaan-3 executed a soft landing on the moon’s south pole. This strategic landing site has flat terrain. A photograph of the landing area comes back to Earth via the landing imager camera.

Pragyan, weighing 26 kilograms, has two essential payloads. One payload analyzes the chemical composition of the lunar surface, while the other will determine the elemental composition of lunar soil and rocks surrounding the landing site.

India’s success in the Chandrayaan mission marks a historic achievement. India is now the first country to successfully land a spacecraft near the moon’s south pole. This region is of particular interest due to its potential as a source of crucial resources. They include oxygen, fuel, and water, thanks to the presence of frozen water.

What happened to Pragyan in 2019?

In a brief recap, the Vikram lander, carrying the Pragyan rover, separated from the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter in 2019. While the initial descent proceeded as planned, the mission faced challenges during the descent and soft landing phase. The on-board computers on Vikram were responsible for executing these critical maneuvers, as mission control lacked the capability to make real-time corrections. It ultimately resulted in an impact on the lunar surface.