Chandrayaan 3 lands on Moon: Pragyan Rover's mission ahead

Chandrayaan 3 landing updates: Vikram Lander, carrying the Pragyan Rover, successfully touched the Moon's surface on Wednesday after over a month long journey.

Chandrayaan 3 news updates: With Chandrayaan 3's moon landing, India scripted history on Wednesday by becoming the first nation to reach the lunar south pole. The crucial mission's monumental success comes nearly four years after Chandrayaan 2 failed to achieve soft landing on the moon in September 2019.

Chandrayaan-3: An animated representation of rover roving on the Moon's surface.(ISRO)

The spacecraft equipped with an indigenous propulsion module, lander module, and a rover was launched with an objective of “developing and demonstrating new technologies required for interplanetary missions,” the Indian Space Research Organisation explained the mission's objectives. (Chandrayaan 3 LIVE)

As of now, the Vikram Lander has safely touched down on the lunar surface, accompanied by the Pragyan Rover positioned on the lander's ramp. In the next phases of the mission, the rover will embark on its journey on the Moon's surface to gather the relevant information about its atmosphere.

Both Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover are designed to function for one lunar day, which is 14 days on the Earth.

While the lander will continue on its own mission of exploring the lunar surroundings including its thermal properties, seismic activity among other objectives; the rover roving the surface will be doing a little more than just gathering data.

Here's what Pragyan Rover's mission encompasses:

The six-wheeled robotic vehicle ‘Pragyan’ translates to 'wisdom' in Sanskrit. Weighing 26 kgs, the rover has instruments configured with payloads to provide data related to the Moon's surface and will study the elemental composition of the atmosphere.

Its two payloads are: APXS or ‘Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer’ and the LIBS or ‘Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope’.

APXS will be engaged in deriving the elemental composition of the lunar surface; while LIBS will carry out experiments to determine the elemental composition of chemical elements such magnesium and aluminium, etc of lunar soil and rocks around the lunar landing site.

Symbolic mission:

However, beyond its scientific objectives, the rover also carries a symbolic mission. Other than gathering data, the rover's rear wheels will leave imprints of the ISRO and the national emblem, depicting the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath, on the lunar surface – symbolising its presence and leaving India’s mark behind.