The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Friday released the first images of Chandrayaan 3 Rover Pragyaan ramping down from Lander Vikram to the Lunar surface. Sharing the video of the Pragyaan’s rollout on the Moon, ISRO wrote, “… and here is how the Chandrayaan 3 Rover ramped down from the Lander to the Lunar surface.
The mesmerising video, captured by Vikram’s Lander Imager Camera on August 23 after Chandrayaan 3’s soft landing on the Moon, shows Rover Pragyaan slowly coming out from the Lander through a ramp and taking a stroll on the Lunar surface.
As the Pragyan rover rolls out of the Lander and onto the Lunar surface, its tire tracks are visible. Its shadow is also visible on the Moon.
Watch the video of Pragyaan Rover rolling out on Moon’s surface below:
… … and here is how the Chandrayaan-3 Rover ramped down from the Lander to the Lunar surface. pic.twitter.com/nEU8s1At0W
— ISRO (@isro) August 25, 2023
Earlier on Wednesday, India created history after its moon mission Chandrayaan 3 successfully landed on the Lunar surface. Chandrayaan 3’s lander Vikram, which also carried Rover Pragyaan with it, made a soft landing near the south pole region of the Moon.
The soft landing on the lunar surface was a remarkable feat as India joined the select club of four nations to have landed on the Moon. Before India, only the USSR (now Russia), the USA, and China had soft-landed on the Moon.
Chandrayaan 3’s Rover Pragyaan is supposed to conduct a number of experiments on the Moon for a period of 14 Earth days which is equivalent to one lunar day. The ISRO has said that Chandrayaan-3 will become an example of new technology development that will be used for future interplanetary missions. The rover, ISRO said, could face several unseen challenges such as lunar dust and temperatures that could impact its movability.