ISRO Scientist, The Voice behind Chandrayaan-3 Launch Countdown, Dies

Scientist Valarmathi, who provided the voice for the rocket launch countdowns in Sriharikota for the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), passed away from heart arrest. The nation’s third lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3, was launched during her most recent countdown.

On July 14, Chandrayaan-3 was launched from Sriharikota’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

Only the fourth nation, Chandrayaan-3, accomplished the feat on August 23 when its Lander Module (LM), which included the Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover, touched down on the lunar surface. The nation was also the first to reach the unexplored south pole of Earth’s only natural satellite thanks to the landing.

In the meantime, the Pragyan rover on the moon has been put to sleep, according to Isro on Saturday. After 14 days, the space agency plans to wake it up.

The Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) and the Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) are the rover’s two payloads. The payloads that use the lander to transmit data to the Earth are disabled.

Together, the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover had been gathering important scientific data. The APXS and LIBS payloads are designed to examine the mineralogy and elemental makeup of lunar rocks and soil.

The Pragyan rover will serve as India’s lunar ambassador for all time if it does not experience a “successful awakening.”