Chandrayaan-3 rover goes into sleep mode to prepare for Moon's long and extremely cold night

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has confirmed that the rover of Chandrayaan-3 has completed its assignments and entered sleep mode.

The Pragyan rover will now prepare to withstand the night of the Moon that lasts over two weeks, during which time the temperatures can touch -280 degrees Fahrenheit making it near impossible for the functioning of equipment.

The ISRO posted on the social media handle X, formerly called Twitter, that the payloads (APXS and LIBS) have been turned off. “Data from these payloads is transmitted to the Earth via the Lander. Currently, the battery is fully charged,” ISRO posted.

“The solar panel is oriented to receive the light at the next sunrise expected on September 22, 2023. The receiver is kept on,” said the Indian space agency.

Should the rover not wake up after the long night's sleep, “it will forever stay there as India's lunar ambassador”, reminded ISRO.

The other day, ISRO chairman S Somanath said that the rover has moved almost 100 metres away from the 'Vikram' lander to prepare for sleep mode.

India's moon mission had touched down on August 23. A successful soft landing on the South Pole made India the first nation to achieve the feat.