Chandrayaan-3: What will happen after 14 days? Will lander, rover return to Earth?

A country of 1.4 billion people is over the Moon. India’s ambitious Chandrayaan-3 made a soft landing on the Moon, joining the elite club space club. It’s a historic moment in more ways than one. The success of the mission means India becomes the first country to explore the unchartered south pole of the lunar surface. This region of the Moon is sought after, as it holds many a secret. Traces of water were found here and this could be a game-changer.

We take a look at expectations from the days ahead and what happens after the mission is complete.

What has happened since the landing?

The touchdown on the mooncraft’s Vikram lander took place at 6.04 pm on 23 August as planned. The lander and the Pragyan rover have a life on one lunar day, which equals 14 days on Earth.

During the power descent , Vikram captured several images of the lunar surface, which show a portion of the landing site, its own metal leg and its shadow. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) shared the pictures on its official account on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Hours after the touchdown, the rover, Pragyan , rolled out from the lander. It was the next big moment and it took some time because the rover had to wait until the lunar dust kicked up by the lander settled.

The gravity of the moon is a fraction of that of Earth and hence the dissipating of dust takes much longer. There was concern among scientists that if the rover rolled out before the dust settled, it could damage the cameras and other equipment on it. ISRO chief S Somanth had said it would take a day but it was quicker than that, reports NDTV.

As the Pragyan rover rolled out from the lander, ISRO tweeted, “Chandrayaan-3 ROVER: Made in India, Made for the MOON🌖! The Ch-3 Rover ramped down from the Lander and India took a walk on the moon!”

The first photo of the rover coming out was posted on X by Pawan K Goenka, chairman of INSPACe, an autonomous agency under the Government of India’s Department of Space.

What happens now that the rover is out?

The Pragyan rover will conduct experiments, collect data from the lunar surface and send it to the lander. This information will then be transmitted to ISRO.

“We are looking at a very exciting time after Pragyan’s entry… It will do experiments for 14 days,” Somanth told reports after the landing on Wednesday.

The rover will travel on the lunar surface, conducting in-situ experiments and studying the elemental composition of the Moon’s atmosphere. It is fitted with an Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer which will reveal the chemical composition and infer composition, helping in a better understanding of the lunar surface.

The Vikram lander, with its three payloads, will measure the near-surface plasma density and its changes over time, carry out measurements of the thermal properties of the lunar surface near the polar region, measure seismicity around the landing site and study the lunar crust and mantle structure. This research will help future exploration missions on the Moon.

How will the data collected be sent to Earth?

The data is digitised and transmitted to Earth in the form of electromagnetic waves to a receiver on the propulsion module, which circulates the Moon. The orbiter module of Chandrayaan-2 also has a receiver, which can work as a backup. The propulsion module or the orbiter will transmit the data to Earth, reports Hindu Business Line.

So what happens after 14 days?

The lander and rover’s objective is to study the surface for 14 days.

The 14 days on Earth are equal to one lunar day. After which it will be night on the Moon and the weather will be extremely cold. During this time, the lander and rover, which is powered by solar energy, is likely to slow down.

However, ISRO scientists believe that there’s a possibility that the lander and rover can operate beyond the duration of its mission. When it’s day again on the Moon and as the sun rises, they might become active.

Also read: Over the Moon: Meet the team behind India’s Chandrayaan-3

Will Chandrayaan-3 come back to Earth?

No. The propulsion module, lander and rover will be up on the Moon forever. They are not scheduled to return to Earth.

With inputs from agencies