India’s moon rover put into sleep mode after completing assignments

New Delhi, Sep 3 (EFE).- The rover from India’s lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 completed all the assigned tasks and was put into “sleep mode” with daylight on the Moon’s south pole coming to an end, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.

The rover, which is powered by sunlight, is scheduled to wake up on Sep. 22, when the next sunrise on the moon occurs.

“The Rover completed its assignments. It is now safely parked and set into Sleep mode. APXS and LIBS payloads are turned off. Data from these payloads is transmitted to the Earth via the Lander,” ISRO posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

“Currently, the battery is fully charged. The solar panel is oriented to receive the light at the next sunrise expected on September 22, 2023. The receiver is kept on,” ISRO added.

However, the Vikram lander is still functional, ISRO spokesperson BHM Darukesha told EFE on Sunday.

“It is still working, it will be put into sleep mode in some hours, maybe today or tomorrow,” he added.

Since both the Pragyan rover module and the Vikram lander are powered by the sun’s rays, ISRO scientists don’t know if they will become operational on that date or will remain inactive, Darukesha added.

On Aug. 23, India achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first nation to land a craft near the uncharted lunar south pole through its Chandrayaan-3 mission.

The Indian mission has unveiled the presence of sulfur, aluminium, calcium, iron, chromium, titanium, manganese, silicon, and oxygen on the lunar surface. EFE

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