Pragyan Rover sleep mode: 2 days to go in Chandrayan-3 mission before ISRO brings rover back to life

 In just 2 days, ISRO will attempt to activate Pragyan rover from sleep mode and ansure that Chandrayaan-3 mission continues on Moon's surface. But will Pragyan Rover ever wake up?

Pragyan rover was part of the ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 mission. It is a small dog-sized rover that travelled the lunar surface and collected some major information.

The Pragyan Rover has six wheels which allows it to move on the lunar surface. It is also equipped with solar panels and two navigation cameras along with two payloads.

The rover successfully moved out of the Vikram lander and contributed to ISRO’s moon mission. It actively collected data for 14 days.

Now, ISRO has kept the Pragyan rover in sleep mode due to the commencement of the lunar night. Without sunlight it cannot recharge batteries. However, the receiver on the rover is still active.

As per experts, surviving the lunar night will not be easy for Pragyan rover due to extreme cold - lower than -175 degrees. 

However, ISRO scientists are hoping that they will be able to activate the rover again once the Sun touches the Moon’s south pole.

According to reports, Pragyan rover will be able to charge itself with the help of solar panels and it will continue the Chandrayaan-3  mission.

The Pragyan rover was put in sleep mode on September 2 and now it is expected to awake on September 22, 2023, which is now just two days away.

If the Pragyan rover battles the unique challenges posed by the lunar environment, it will again mark a big achievement for ISRO. However, the chances seem to be very low.

Pragyan rover has already surpassed its mission objective. If for any reason it does not wake up, it will stay on the Moon forever as an ambassador of India, a permanent one.