Chandrayaan-3 mission: Know all about Pragyan rover and its reactivation date

Scientists are expecting that Pragyan rover will be able to get into the active mode after the lunar sunrise in the South Pole on the Moon. Know all about the Chandrayaan-3 rover.

On August 23, 2023, the Vikram lander along with the Pragyan rover landed on the Moon’s south pole, creating history and India then became the fourth country to make a safe landing.

After successfully studying the lunar surface and even catching a Moonquake, the Pragyan rover and Vikram lander have been in sleep mode due to the commencement of the lunar night.

The Pragyan rover was put in the sleep mode on September 2, 2023. Now, it is expected that it will again be active during sunrise which is expected on September 22, 2023. Same applies to the lander.

The name “Pragyan” was derived from a Sanskrit word with means “'wisdom”. This dog-sized rover is equipped with two payloads which helped collect information about the Moon's surface.

One of Pragyan's payloads is named Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) which was designed for in-situ analysis of soil and rock composition on the lunar surface.

The other payload was Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) which was used to detect the presence of sulphur on the lunar surface.

Now, the Pragyan rover and both the payloads are in sleep mode, but the receiver is still active. 

In case ISRO manages to successfully wake it up, the Pragyan rover has solar panels installed on it, and it should continue working after the lunar sunrise on the South Pole.

Now, just in a few days, we will get to know if the Chandrayaan-3 mission continues or ends. The Pragyan rover and Vikram Lander are expected to be awakened by ISRO on September 22, 2023. 

Nevertheless, both Pragyan and Vikram will remain on the Moon as India's permanent ambassadors.