Rover Pragyan Embarks On A Lunar Journey: ‘Made In India , Made For The Moon’

Pragyan rover's historic lunar walk crowns Chandrayaan 3's success, showcasing India's space prowess and scientific exploration

Written by: Namrata Sawal

Edited by: Krutarth Ghosalkar

Last Updated: August 24, 2023

On X, formerly referred to as Twitter, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) shared the news that the Pragyan rover of Chanfrayaan-3 has successfully descended from the Vikram lander and is now operational on the lunar surface. "Made in India, Made for the Moon," the space agency announced, "the CH-3 Rover emerged from the lander, marking India's lunar stroll." Further updates to follow.”

Following its triumphant touchdown at 6.04 pm on Wednesday, Chandrayaan 3 patiently awaited the settling of lunar dust. The subsequent maneuver involved the iniatiationof the Pragyan rover’s rollout, a component that had been affixed to the underside of the Vikram lander. This process successfully transpired, and the initial image of Pragyan merging from Vikram has been disclosed by Pawan K Goenka, the head of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre.

President Droupadi Murmu extended her congratulations to the ISRO team for the accomplished deployment of Pragyan.

“The fact that it rolled out a few hours subsequent to Vikram’s landing signifies the achievement of another crucial phase of Chandrayaan-3. I, along with fellow citizens and scientists, am eagerly anticipating the insights and anyses that Pragyan will gather, enhancing our comprehension of the moon”, she expressed.

Engineered with the intent to etch the national emblem and ISRO’s logo onto the lunar surface, Pragyan is poised to traverse a desolate and unexplored landscape in the upcoming days. Throughout its journey, it willtransmit data and visual information back to earth.

Both the landerand rover are tasked with searching for indications of water/ice presence, a potential resource that could contribute to the sustenance of extended lunar and space expeditions.

Vikaram has successfully established communication connections with the Misssion Operations Complex situated in Belngaluru. With this achievement, India now stands as the fourth country to achieve a lunar landing, marking a significant milestone as the first nation in the proximity of the moon’s southern pole.