Chandrayaan-3 mission: Now, micrometeoroid danger looms over Vikram lander and Pragyan rover
Photo Credit: JAXA Vikram lander and Pragyan rover face new challenges with lunar environment and micrometeoroids.
Photo Credit: ISRO Vikram lander and Pragyan rover have been in sleep mode for a long time now as they have shown no sign of revival. Now, a dangerous threat looms over both.
Photo Credit: ISRO ISRO has been continuously making efforts to get in touch with the lander and the rover, however, no signal has been received. It is reported that they are experiencing difficulties with their power systems and temperature control.
Photo Credit: ISRO However, the Moon lander and rover are facing another challenge with the lunar environment.
Photo Credit: ISRO Both the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover are also exposed to micrometeoroids that can crash onto them.
Photo Credit: ISRO According to NASA, a micrometeoroid is usually a fragment of an asteroid and is smaller than a grain of sand.
Photo Credit: Pixabay These tiny dust-like particles can leave a great impact on the spacecraft and Vikram lander and Pragyan rover are facing the same.
Photo Credit: Pixabay These tiny dust particles can damage the lander and the rover as they travel very fast. This too can affect their revival.
Photo Credit: ISRO Notably, to shield lunar missions from micrometeoroids, spacecraft are equipped with Whipple shields or multi-layer insulation.
Photo Credit: Pixabay With these new challenges and extreme cold conditions, the revival chances of the lander and the rover are looking slim.
Photo Credit: ISRO However, ISRO will continue to make efforts for the awakening of Vikram lander and Pragyan rover till further notice.
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