Crisis Scenario: What Occurs If Chandrayaan-3 Rover And Lander Fail To Reactivate?

In a recent development, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been diligently working to restore communication with the Chandrayaan-3 mission’s Vikram lander and Pragyan rover. These two lunar explorers were placed in sleep mode earlier this month, and ISRO has been attempting to wake them up.

Status Update on Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover

On September 2, ISRO conveyed via X (formerly Twitter) that the Pragyan rover had successfully completed its mission on the Moon and had been safely parked in sleep mode. The agency provided details such as disabling specific payloads, ensuring a fully charged battery, and orienting the solar panel to capture the next lunar sunrise, expected on September 22, 2023.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
The Rover completed its assignments.

It is now safely parked and set into Sleep mode.
APXS and LIBS payloads are turned off.
Data from these payloads is transmitted to the Earth via the Lander.

Currently, the battery is fully charged.
The solar panel is…

— ISRO (@isro) September 2, 2023

The Vikram lander, having exceeded its mission objectives, was also powered down. Both modules were placed in sleep mode to endure the lunar night, equivalent to roughly 14 days on Earth.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
🇮🇳Vikram soft-landed on 🌖, again!

Vikram Lander exceeded its mission objectives. It successfully underwent a hop experiment.

On command, it fired the engines, elevated itself by about 40 cm as expected and landed safely at a distance of 30 – 40 cm away.… pic.twitter.com/T63t3MVUvI

— ISRO (@isro) September 4, 2023

The Uncertain Fate and Hopeful Awakening

ISRO expressed the hope that these lunar ambassadors would awaken for further assignments, but they acknowledged the possibility that if they don’t wake up, they will remain on the Moon indefinitely.

On September 22, during the anticipated lunar sunrise, ISRO attempted to establish contact with the rover and lander, but unfortunately, no signals were received.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
Efforts have been made to establish communication with the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover to ascertain their wake-up condition.

As of now, no signals have been received from them.

Efforts to establish contact will continue.

— ISRO (@isro) September 22, 2023

Expert Opinions and Challenges

Experts draw optimism from past missions, such as China’s Chang’e-4 and Yutu-2, which successfully resumed operations after surviving their first lunar night in 2019. However, there are substantial challenges. Former ISRO Chairman AS Kiran Kumar highlighted the extreme cold on the Moon, with temperatures dropping as low as -200 to -250 degrees Celsius during the night. Batteries are not designed to function in such harsh conditions.

Former ISRO scientist Tapan Mishra provided a glimmer of hope, stating that if the lander and rover survive the first lunar night, they may endure many more and possibly operate for six months to a year—an achievement that would be remarkable in lunar exploration.