Sriharikota: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will wait another 14 days to try to establish contact with the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover of its Chandrayaan-3 mission. The lander and rover went into sleep mode on September 16 after landing on the Moon, and ISRO has been unable to re-establish contact with them since then.
ISRO has said that it will continue to try to revive the lander and rover till the next sunset on the Moon, which is slated for October 6. The lander and rover are equipped with solar panels, and they will only be able to operate when they are exposed to sunlight.
If ISRO is unable to re-establish contact with the lander and rover by October 6, then the mission will be considered a failure. However, ISRO has said that it will not give up hope until the last possible moment.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission is India’s second attempt to land a rover on the Moon. The first attempt, Chandrayaan-2, failed in 2019 when the Vikram lander crashed on the surface of the Moon.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission is a very important mission for India. It is a test of India’s ability to land a rover on the Moon safely and to conduct scientific experiments on the lunar surface. The mission is also a sign of India’s growing ambitions in space exploration.
The failure to establish contact with the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover is a setback for India’s space program. However, ISRO has shown its resilience in the past, and it is likely that the agency will learn from its mistakes and try again in the future.
Here are some of the possible reasons why ISRO has been unable to re-establish contact with the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover: the lander and rover may have been damaged during the landing process. The lander and rover may be covered in dust, which could be blocking their solar panels from receiving sunlight. The lander and rover may be in a location where they are not receiving a strong enough signal from Earth. There may be a problem with the lander and rover’s communication systems.
ISRO is working to troubleshoot these possible problems and to re-establish contact with the lander and rover. The agency is also analyzing the data that was collected by the lander and rover during the landing process. This data could help ISRO to understand what went wrong and to improve its chances of success on future missions.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission is a challenging mission, but it is one that is worth pursuing. The Moon is a fascinating place, and it has a lot to teach us. By exploring the Moon, we can learn more about our place in the universe and about the potential for life beyond Earth.