The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that the Chandrayaan-3 mission’s rover ‘Pragyan’ skillfully navigated around a lunar crater, marking a critical moment in the lunar expedition. According to an official ISRO post on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), the rover encountered a 4-meter diameter crater just 3 meters ahead of its intended path. In response, the command was given for the rover to retrace its steps, successfully avoiding the obstacle and now proceeding along a new trajectory.
Images captured by a navigation camera on the rover were shared by ISRO to depict the situation. The initial image showed the crater, while the subsequent one revealed the path retraced by the rover after its adept maneuver.
This strategic avoidance of the crater proved to be pivotal for the 14-day mission’s success. A space scientist commented on the significance of this move, stating, “The Pragyan rover has a mass comparable to that of a 30-kg sack of rice. An accidental descent into the crater could inflict severe damage on its 3D cameras and X-ray spectrometer, crucial tools for analyzing the composition of lunar soil and nearby rocks.”
India achieved a momentous milestone on August 23 with the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the lunar south pole, becoming the fourth country to accomplish such a feat and the first to establish contact with this particular region. ISRO confirmed that two of the three mission objectives had been fulfilled by Saturday: a secure and gentle landing on the lunar surface and the demonstration of rover movement. Additionally, all payloads onboard were functioning as intended.
While the mission proceeds with its in-situ scientific experiments, the triumphant evasion of the crater stands as a testament to ISRO’s precision and innovation in lunar exploration.
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