India's moon lander Vikram and rover Pragyan part of Chandrayaan-3 mission have fallen silent after their slumber in the freezing lunar night. ISRO scientists have been unable to re-establish communication with the spacecraft, raising concerns about their fate.
Vikram and Pragyan made a historic landing on the South Pole of the moon on August 23.
They spent 10 days exploring the lunar surface, collecting data and transmitting images back to Earth.
On September 2, ISRO scientists switched the spacecraft to sleep mode to protect them from the freezing of the lunar night.
The lander and rover were expected to wake up on September 22, but they have remained silent.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
— ISRO (@isro) September 22, 2023
Efforts have been made to establish communication with the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover to ascertain their wake-up condition.
As of now, no signals have been received from them.
Efforts to establish contact will continue.
ISRO scientists are continuing to attempt to contact the spacecraft, but they have not yet had any success.
The lunar night lasts for two weeks, so the scientists still have some time to re-establish communication. However, if they are unable to do so, the spacecraft will be lost forever.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission was a major milestone for India's space program.
It made India the fourth country in the world to land on the moon, and the first to reach the South Pole region.
The mission's success was a source of national pride for millions of Indians.
The loss of Vikram and Pragyan would be a major setback for India's space program. However, ISRO scientists are determined to continue their efforts to contact the spacecraft.
They are hopeful that they will be able to re-establish communication and resume the mission's scientific exploration of the lunar surface.
However, the spacecraft have failed to wake up as expected. ISRO said it will continue attempting to make contact with the spacecraft at least until the lunar night begins Oct. 6.
