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After completing a historic lunar landing, putting India among the small nations that have safely placed spacecraft on the moon’s surface, the Chandrayaan-3 lander is currently sleeping until controllers attempt to land it. 14 days of the moon resting on the night. We will be rebooting the spacecraft later this month.
The main objective of the mission has now been successfully checked off the list, cementing the Chandrayaan-3 lander’s legacy in the history of exploration. For about two weeks, the lander conducted technology demonstrations and data collection, primarily focused on analyzing the composition of the moon’s soil and ultrathin atmosphere.
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft landed on the lunar surface on August 23. The safe touchdown made India the fourth country in the world to achieve such a feat after the former Soviet Union, the United States and China. So far, 21cent This century, only China and India have landed on the moon.
It is also the first to explore a site very close to the moon’s south pole, an area of significant scientific and strategic importance for the world’s space powers because it is thought to contain water ice deposits. It was also a mission. This resource could be extracted and converted into drinking water or even rocket fuel for future missions exploring the depths of space.
In India, the Chandryan-3 mission is hailed as a national pride. More than 70 million people watched online coverage of the landfall, and thousands more packed into auditoriums and viewing parties across the country.
“Our unrelenting scientific efforts continue to advance our understanding of the universe for the welfare of all humanity,” said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Posted On September 2, he took to social media to celebrate the Chandrayaan-3 mission and the recent launch of India’s first spacecraft dedicated to the study of the Sun.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said on Monday, September 4, that the lunar lander Chandrian 3 will go into sleep mode because it is not designed to continue collecting scientific data while at its landing site on Earth. admitted to entering Shadow or moonlit night.
But the space agency hopes the lander and the small six-wheeled rover it deployed will wake up again later this month, on Sept. 22.
Looking back at Chandrian-3
Chandrayaan-3’s landing in August came just days after Russia’s failed attempt to place a similar spacecraft, Luna 25, near the moon’s south pole. In contrast to Luna 25’s tense failure, Chandryan 3 began sending updates on its success almost immediately.
A day after landing, ISRO confirmed that the Chandrian-3 lander successfully deployed the six-wheeled lunar rover, which was wedged inside the body of the rover and reached the surface.
ISRO said on its website ‘X’, formerly known as Twitter, that it was ejected rolling down a small ramp before departing “to pursue the secrets of the moon in Antarctica”.
The nearly 1,700 kilogram (3,748 pound) lander and 26 kilogram (57.3 pound) rover are packed with nearly a dozen scientific instruments. They contain lasers that can analyze the moon’s chemical composition. regolith — aiding the search for water ice — and the ultrathin layer of gas that makes up the moon’s exosphere. The rover was also equipped with a seismometer to try to detect earthquakes inside the moon.
Isro Confirmed All instruments were “operating normally” during the mission.
The space agency has shared sporadic updates on social media, posting first looks at various data points collected by the lander and probe. 100 meters (330 feet) It was able to cross the lunar surface and take photos of the lander as it sailed.
One experiment measured the temperature of the moon’s topsoil at various depths, ISRO scientist BHM Darkesha told local news agency PTI. hotter More than expected.
“Everyone believed that the temperature at the Earth’s surface was around 20 to 30 degrees Celsius (68 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit), but it’s actually 70 degrees Celsius (158 degrees Fahrenheit). “It’s shockingly higher than it used to be,” he said.
The rover will also detect any seismic activity using instruments designed to measure rumblings and earthquakes beneath the lunar surface, and use a spectrometer to confirm the presence of sulfur near the moon’s south pole. did. Scientists will now aim to investigate how the element got there and whether it exists naturally on the Earth’s surface or was put there by a meteorite impact or volcanic activity. There is. According to ISRO.
Isro The probe was shut down on September 2nd, solar panel It was oriented to capture the first rays of sunlight when the moon returns to daylight later this month.
“We wish Awakening success for its next mission! Otherwise, it will remain there forever as India’s lunar ambassador,” ISRO said. Posted With X.
However, the lander was not yet completed. On September 4th, it started its engine and rose about 40 centimeters (16 inches) off the ground, then made a small jump and landed about 30 to 40 centimeters (12 to 16 inches) from its original position. accomplished a great feat.
ISRO underlined the importance of this technology demonstration and said returning the lander from the lunar surface is essential for future missions aimed at returning soil samples and even astronauts after a lunar mission. pointed out that
Shortly after, the lander joined the spacecraft and entered its own slumber, awaiting its awakening when sunlight returned to its resting place.
It remains unclear whether the lander and rover will actually function properly when controllers attempt to power them back on later this month.
However, all the main objectives set by ISRO for the mission were achieved.