The Vikram lander and Pragyan rover had been put into “sleep mode” to protect the electrical components.
With the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) extending its wait to 14 days to establish its contact with Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander and Pragyan rover, former ISRO scientist Tapan Mishra said that even if the rover fails to revive and the lander works, it would be a miracle.
“Originally the Chandrayaan lander rover was designed for only 14 days of operation. It is expected that the temperature will go down to -140 degrees Celsius or lower, in the Southern pole it can reach down to -200 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, no plastic material, no carbon power material or no electronics can survive. They will crack. But I’m hopeful that ISRO must have done a lot of thermal management thing,” Mishra told ANI.
The Vikram lander and Pragyan rover had been put into “sleep mode” to protect the electrical components as lunar night conditions can see temperatures drop to -250 degrees Celsius which last for two weeks. According to scientists, there is only a 50% chance the devices could endure the freezing temperatures.
Former ISRO chief AS Kiran Kumar told the BBC on September 25 that chances of the rover and lander awakening are “dimming with each passing hour”.
The ISRO team said it would continue efforts to establish contact with the spacecraft until 30 September—the day the next lunar sunset is scheduled.
If Vikram and Pragyan do not wake up, ISRO has said they will stay on the moon as India’s lunar ambassador.
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