The lander and rover of Chandrayaan-2 were also named Vikram and Pragyan, respectively, but that mission ended in its last moments.
The same names were picked once more for Chandrayaan-3 so that Vikram and Pragyan can each perform their duties on the moon in the event that the mission is successful.
Chandrayaan-3’s lander and rover are called Vikram and Pragyan, much like Chandrayaan-2’s were.
The lander is named Vikram, and the rover that will be deployed after landing on the moon is named Pragyan.
Reusing these identifiers was agreed upon because the previous mission’s objectives on the moon’s surface were not met.
In the previous Chandrayaan-2 mission, the lander Vikram and rover Pragyan were unable to function properly due to the crash landing and subsequent loss.
With Chandrayaan-3, ISRO has created a method that guarantees the spacecraft will only touch down in an appropriate spot.
Additional provisions for fuel have also been made.
Studying the moon’s southern pole is the primary goal of the Chandrayaan-3 mission.
According to scientists, this region of the moon has water ice and abundant sunlight.
It is anticipated that this mission’s data will be useful for upcoming Mars expeditions.
The fact that no other space agency has ever attempted to reach the southern pole of the moon is another extraordinary feature of this mission.
What will the lander Vikram accomplish and for what purpose?
After a soft landing, the Vikram lander will initiate its operations and send the first images back to ISRO a few minutes after landing.
As long as it is on the moon’s surface, it will keep working.
The rover will emerge from the lander three hours after landing, and the lander will carry out lunar surface-related scientific operations.
What is the rover Pragyan, and what will it do?
The lander Vikram will launch the solar-powered rover Pragyan after touching down on the moon’s surface.
The six-wheeled rover will travel at a pace of 1 centimeter per second across a distance of around 500 meters.
On the lunar surface, it will undertake chemical analysis and return the results to the lander, which will subsequently communicate them to the ISRO space station.
The rover Pragyan will remain active for approximately 14 Earth days, equivalent to one lunar day.
What’s the origin of each of their names?
The lander was named Vikram because this Sanskrit word is associated with courage and bravery.
Any space agency in the world is launching a mission to explore the southern pole of the moon for the first time with the launch of this mission.
Additionally, naming the lander Vikram pays tribute to the great scientist Vikram Sarabhai, considered the father of Indian space programs.
Similarly, the rover was named Pragyan, which means wisdom and knowledge.
This name was chosen because the rover utilizes advanced artificial intelligence technology to conduct chemical studies on the moon’s surface and prepare data.
The name Pragyan signifies the intelligence behind this capability.
What is the status of Chandrayaan 3?
Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission, was successfully launched on July 14, 2023, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. As of today, July 31, 2023, the spacecraft is making steady progress and is currently in a 71351 km x 233 km orbit around Earth.
Is Chandrayaan-1 still active?
Chandrayaan-1 ( transl. Moon-craft, pronunciation (help·info)) was the first Indian lunar probe under the Chandrayaan programme. It was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in October 2008, and operated until August 2009. The mission included a lunar orbiter and an impactor.
In which orbit is Chandrayaan 3 now?
A fortnight since its successful launch from Sriharikota, Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission, has successfully completed its orbits around the Earth and is injected into the translunar orbit, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said on Tuesda
Thanks nice article