Shruti Suman
In the most recent update concerning the Chandrayaan-3 rover ‘Pragyan’, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has unveiled a video showcasing the Pragyan rover emerging from the Vikram Lander and traversing the moon’s surface.
Earlier in the day, ISRO shared an image on social media. The picture displayed the lander positioned on the lunar surface, captured by the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter using its advanced camera. A few hours after the ‘Vikram’ lander’s successful soft landing on the moon, the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, which had already established communication with the lander, snapped a picture of the spacecraft using its camera.
ISRO mentioned in the post that this camera possesses the highest resolution currently available around the moon. However, the post was deleted shortly after being shared on X (formerly Twitter).
“I’ve spotted you! 🙂” ISRO posted on X. “Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter 📸 captures Chandrayaan-3 Lander in a photoshoot!” the post read.
“The Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter High-Resolution Camera (OHRC) – the camera with the highest resolution currently available around the moon – spots the Chandrayaan-3 Lander after its landing on 23/2³/23,” added ISRO in their post.
On Wednesday, India achieved a historic milestone in space exploration as the Vikram lander, carrying the Pragyan rover, successfully touched down on the moon’s surface. This accomplishment not only established India as the fourth country to achieve such a remarkable feat but also positioned it as the pioneer in reaching the uncharted southern pole of the moon, Earth’s only natural satellite.
Later, ISRO shared a video depicting the Pragyaan rover descending from the Vikram Lander to the lunar surface. | Watch
Previously, ISRO confirmed the activation of all Lander Module (LM) payloads.
“All operations are proceeding as planned. All systems are operating normally. Lander Module payloads ILSA, RAMBHA, and ChaSTE were turned ON today. Rover mobility operations have commenced. SHAPE payload on the Propulsion Module was turned ON on Sunday,” ISRO reported in an evening update.
ISRO Chairman S Somanath stated that rover movement is functioning “very well.”
“The lander landed perfectly at the designated site. The landing location was marked as 4.5 km x 2.5 km – I believe in that area, and the exact center of that was pinpointed as the landing site. It landed within 300 meters of that point. This means it landed well within the designated landing area,” Somanath told PTI.
India accomplished a historic feat on Wednesday as its third unmanned lunar mission’s lander module executed a flawless soft landing, making it the fourth country to achieve this accomplishment and the first to reach the unexplored south pole of the moon, Earth’s sole natural satellite.
