The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday released another video of how a two-segment ramp facilitated the roll-down of the rover. The space agency said a solar panel enabled the rover to generate power. The video also said how the rapid deployment of the ramp and solar panel took place, prior to the rolldown of the rover.
"The deployment mechanisms, totalling 26 in the Ch-3 mission, were developed at U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC)/ISRO, Bengaluru," ISRO wrote on 'X', (formerly known as Twitter) sharing the video.
Rover successfully traversed a distance of about eight meters
In a statement, the ISRO also said that all planned rover movements have been verified and the rover has successfully traversed a distance of about eight meters. "Rover payloads LIBS and APXS are turned ON. All payloads on the propulsion module, lander module, and rover are performing nominally," the space agency stated.
The Vikram lander with the Pragyan rover in its belly touched down on the Moon's surface on Wednesday, August 23. A few hours after the landing, the 26-kg six-wheeled rover rolled out from the lander's belly. Meanwhile, ISRO is anticipating that the lander and rover's mission life will not be constrained to just one lunar day or 14 earth days. The scientists at the space agency believe that Chandrayaan-3's lander and rover will come back to life when the sun rises again on the Moon, to carry on with the experiments and studies there.
What did ISRO say of rover?
ISRO had earlier said the six-wheeled rover was scheduled to descend from the lander's belly onto the Moon's surface, using one of its side panels which acts as a ramp. The lander and rover -- with a total mass of 1,752 kg -- are designed to operate for one lunar daylight period (about 14 Earth days) to study the surroundings there. However, ISRO officials do not rule out the possibility of them coming back to life for another lunar day.
What would rover do on Moon's surface?
The rover will carry out in-situ chemical analysis of the lunar surface during the course of its mobility. It would study the surface of the Moon through its payload APXS (Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer) to determine the elemental composition of lunar soil and rocks around the lunar landing site.
Another payload on the rover, the Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS), will derive the chemical composition and infer mineralogical composition to further enhance understanding of the lunar surface. According to ISRO officials, the Moon's south pole region is also being explored because there is a possibility of water being present in permanently shadowed areas around it, according to ISRO officials. The rover will send the data to the lander which will then send it to Earth.
(With PTI inputs)
Also Read: Chandrayaan-3 Mission Update: All activities are on schedule, all systems normal, says ISRO
