The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said, “Vikram Lander has exceeded Chandrayaan-3 mission goals and successfully conducted a “hop experiment.”
The Vikram Lander has landed on the lunar surface again, the Indian space agency said today, only days after Chandrayaan-3’s successful moon landing.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said, “Vikram Lander has exceeded Chandrayaan-3 mission goals and successfully conducted a “hop experiment.”
“On command, it ignited the engines, elevated itself by about 40 cm as expected, and safely landed at a distance of 30 – 40 cm away,” ISRO added.
According to ISRO, this accomplishment “kickstarts enthuses future sample return and human missions.” The Vikram Lander’s robustness is demonstrated by its vertical takeoff and touchdown on the Moon.
The Pragyan rover on the Chandrayaan-3 mission was “set into Sleep mode” last Thursday, but with batteries charged and the receiver turned on.
“Wish you a successful waking for the next set of tasks.” Otherwise, it would stay there indefinitely as India’s lunar envoy,” the space agency said.
With its Chandrayaan-3 lander, India became the first country to land near the moon’s south pole last month.
After a failed attempt in 2019, Chandrayaan-3’s smooth, perfect touchdown has inspired tremendous celebration across the country. The landing, which happened only days after a Russian lander crashed in the same location, is regarded as India’s most significant scientific achievement.
The country has consistently matched the accomplishments of other space projects at a fraction of the expense. Aditya-L1, ISRO’s first Sun mission, was successfully launched last week. The mission’s primary goals are to better understand coronal heating and solar wind acceleration.
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By next year, ISRO plans to conduct a three-day crewed trip into Earth’s orbit. It also intends to launch a cooperative expedition to the Moon with Japan by 2025, as well as an orbital mission to Venus within the following two years.
