Chandrayaan-3: Lander Vikram, Rover Pragyan May Be Put To Sleep Soon. ISRO Chief Explains Why

Days after successfully touching down on the lunar surface, Chandrayaan-3's Pragyan rover has traversed over 100 metres, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief S Somanath said. The ISRO chief said the process of putting rover and lander into "sleep" will start in a day or two explaining the reason behind it.

"The good news is that the rover has moved almost 100 metres from the lander and we are going to start the process of making both of them sleep in the coming one or two days because they have to withstand the night," he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Mr Somnath announced the development following the launch of the Aditya L1 mission, Indian first space class solar observatory. He said the lander and rover, Vikram and Pragyan, respectively, were still functioning and the team with scientific instruments are doing a lot of work, reported PTI.

"Pragyan 100... Meanwhile, over the Moon, Pragyan Rover has traversed over 100 meters and continuing," ISRO posted on X, formerly Twitter.

The ISRO on Thursday said that the Pragyan rover module of the lander Vikram has recorded a natural event near the Moon's south pole. However, the detection of its source is underway.

India created history on August 23 by becoming the first country to achieve a soft landing near the south pole of the Moon. The successful conduct of what was the maiden lunar landing mission of the ISRO also put India in an elite club of nations featuring the US, Russia and China.

Meanwhile, in another feat, ISRO today launched the country's ambitious solar mission, Aditya L1, eyeing history again after its successful lunar expedition.

Aditya L1 will be the first Indian satellite mission to study the Sun. The spacecraft will travel to its new home - the first Lagrange point (L1) of the Sun-Earth system.