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Watch: Chandrayaan-3’s Pragyan rover changes track to find a safe path on moon surface

The rover, lander, and propulsion module are equipped with instruments that will help it conduct scientific experiments on the Moon

Published: Thu 31 Aug 2023, 4:53 PM

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In this image released by Isro on Wednesday, Vikram Lander is seen on the surface of the Moon as captured by the Navigation Camera (NavCam) onboard Pragyan Rover. Photo: PTI

In this image released by Isro on Wednesday, Vikram Lander is seen on the surface of the Moon as captured by the Navigation Camera (NavCam) onboard Pragyan Rover. Photo: PTI

Indian space agency ISRO has shared a video showing Chandrayaan-3’s Pragyan rover rotating in search of a safe route on the lunar surface. The rover is currently exploring the Moon’s south pole region and carrying out in-situ experiments.

In the video, uploaded on X, formerly known as Twitter, by ISRO, the Pragyan rover is seen rotating and moving on the Moon. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said that video was recorded on August 29 by a Lander Imager Camera mounted on the Vikram lander.

“The rover was rotated in search of a safe route. The rotation was captured by a Lander Imager Camera,” ISRO wrote.

“It feels as though a child is playfully frolicking in the yards of Chandamama, while the mother watches affectionately. Isn't it?” the space agency added.

Earlier, Pragyan rover had clicked a picture of Vikram lander through its Navigation Camera (NavCam). Sharing the picture on X on August 30, ISRO wrote, “Smile please! Pragyan Rover clicked an image of Vikram Lander this morning”.

“The 'image of the mission' was taken by the Navigation Camera onboard the Rover (NavCam). NavCams for the Chandrayaan-3 Mission are developed by the Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (LEOS),” it added.

Chandrayaan-3’s rover, lander, and propulsion module are equipped with several instruments that will help conduct scientific experiments on the Moon.

On August 29, ISRO announced that the Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) instrument onboard the Pragyan rover had confirmed the presence of Sulphur in the lunar surface near the south pole. It said that the instrument detected several other elements and that the “search for Hydrogen (H) is underway”.

Following this, another instrument, the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectroscope (APXS), onboard the rover detected the presence of sulphur on the Moon. ISRO, on Thursday, also shared a video showing “an automated hinge mechanism rotating the 18cm tall APXS, aligning the detector head to be approximately 5cm in proximity to the lunar surface”.

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