The Vikram lander has successfully let go of Chandrayaan-3's Pragyan rover. When all of the lunar dust had fallen, the rover emerged. India became the first nation to softly land a spacecraft on the lunar south pole when Chandrayaan-3 touched down there on August 23, 2023, at 6:04 pm IST.
The Vikram lander was fully energized before the Pragyan rover emerged. The Pragyan rover's full rollout took more than four hours. The Pragyan rover and Vikram lander were collectively referred to as the lander module. A 100-kilometer circular lunar orbit was reached by the lander module thanks to the propulsion module. The propulsion module and the lander module then parted ways.
The Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) are the rover's two payloads.
The elemental makeup of the rocks and soil near the landing site will be ascertained with the use of APXS. Magnesium, aluminum, silicon, potassium, calcium, titanium, and iron are among the elements that will be researched.
To determine the chemical and mineralogical makeup of the lunar surface, LIBS will perform both qualitative and quantitative elemental analysis.
The rover weighs 26 kilograms, has a mission duration of one lunar day, and can produce 50 Watts of power.
Pragyan has six wheels, a navigation camera, and a rectangular form.
The first pictures of the Moon taken by Chandrayaan-3 during lunar descent have been released by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Additionally, Chandrayaan-3 took a picture of the landing area. One of Vikram's landing legs can be seen in that picture. In order to land, Chandrayaan-3 picked a location that was largely flat.
This landing site photo was taken by the Landing Imager Camera on the Vikram lander.
Chandrayaan-3's goals include conducting in-situ scientific investigations and creating and showcasing new technologies necessary for extraterrestrial missions.
