Chandrayaan-3: Lander, Rover dead on Moon?

Bengaluru: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has failed to establish communication with the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover of the Chandrayaan-3 mission for the last two days, raising concerns about their operational status.

Despite repeated attempts, no signals have been received from the lunar explorers, which touched down on the uncharted lunar southern polar region on August 23 after a 40-day journey through Space.

As of now, no signals have been received from them. Efforts to establish contact will continue,” ISRO wrote on X. ISRO will continue its efforts to re-establish contact with the lander and rover until the next lunar sunset, slated for September 30, the national space agency said. Both Vikram lander and Pragyan rover were put into sleep mode on September 2 after they successfully completed their initial tasks.

The rover in a big discovery confirmed the presence of sulphur, iron, oxygen, and other elements on the moon.

The agency is still hopeful that sun’s rise on Shivshakti Point, where the lander and rover are parked, will bring the equipment back to life. As soon as there is a sunrise, the solar-powered lander and rover will get charged, and the rover and lander will get activated, which occurred on the lunar surface on September 22. ISRO said that there is a 50-50 chance of revival if the electronics survive the cold temperature, and if not, the mission has already achieved its objectives.

If revived, the lander and rover will continue their scientific experiments on the moon’s surface.