Chandrayaan-3's Pragyan captures new snap of Vikram Lander, details inside

The ISRO on Monday posted the images of a crater that Pragyan, the rover carried by Vikram, the lander of Chandrayaan-3, experienced. There were many images shared by the Indian space agency

On Wednesday, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) reported that the Pragyan rover had traveled approximately 15 metres and taken a picture of the Vikram lander.

The Indian space office has also mentioned it delivered multiple pictures caught by the Pragyan rover. ISRO has posted photographs via social media's X (Twitter) and expressed, "Beyond Borders, Across Moonscapes: India's Majesty knows no bounds! Once more, co-traveller Pragyan captures Vikram in a Snap! This iconic snap was taken today around 11 am IST from about 15 m."

Chandrayaan-3's Pragyan new snap: Overview

As indicated by the ISRO, the recent directions of the Chandrayaan 3 are 69.373 S, 32.319 E, well close to the planned landing point of 4 km x 2.4 km at 69.367621 S, 32.348126 E.

The picture shared by the ISRO showed two of Vikram lander's essential instruments, the Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) probe and Chandra's Surface Thermo-physical Experiment (ChaSTE) probe.

The Pragyan rover has two route cameras fitted on the front side. The information and images gathered by the cameras is processed by ISRO's Space Applications Center in Ahmedabad.

Pragyan new Images: Insights

The Chandrayan-3 rover is supposed to hold experiments for more than 14 days, incorporating an analysis of the mineral composition of the lunar surface, the ISRO said after the Chandrayan-3's accomplished arrival on the moon.

The ISRO reported on Tuesday that the rover found several other elements and confirmed the presence of sulphur near the lunar South Pole in its search for evidence of frozen water.

According to ISRO, the presence of aluminium, iron, titanium, calcium, chromium, manganese, oxygen, and silicon was detected by the rover's laser-induced spectroscope instrument.

The rover's experiments and data collection could assist in determining whether the moon contains hydrogen and oxygen. The Pragyan rover will likewise focus on the atmosphere of the moon and seismic exercises.

What Is Lunar Night?

The lunar night occurs due to the moon's rotation, which is about 28 days on Earth. For half of this time, the lunar surface faces the sun, while for the other half, it faces away from it, in darkness. This cycle is similar to the daylight-hours pattern on Earth.

However, despite a few difficulties on the lunar surface, Chandrayaan-3 has been doing critical research on the Moon and it is an extraordinary accomplishment for the country. 

Vikram Lander’s Final Mission

On August 23, 2023, India carved its name in history by becoming the first country to land its spacecraft Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander on the Moon's South Pole. India is the fourth country to land a rover on the lunar surface.

Chandrayaan-3 has a total lifespan of one lunar day or 14 Earth days, and the ISRO may try to extend it by one more day. However, this depends on the availability of sufficient power to maintain the Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover's optimal operation. Till now, the mission has finished 7 days, and it has 7 more days to go.