India’s Chandrayaan-3 lunar rover lifted off from the spacecraft on Thursday to begin exploration and experiments on the surface of the Moon’s south pole, ready for new challenges, the space agency chief said.

The spacecraft on Wednesday landed on the uncharted south pole of the moon, making India the first country to achieve the feat, just days after Russia’s Luna-25 failed a similar mission.

The soft, textbook touchdown by the lander after a failed attempt in 2019 prompted widespread jubilation and celebration in the world’s most populous country. The media described this historic landing as India’s biggest scientific achievement.

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) chief S. Somnath said the lander and rover are in good condition, and “both are working very well” but the experiments have not started yet.

“All activities are on schedule. All systems are normal,” ISRO posted on Twitter on X, East. “Rover mobility operations have begun.”

The rover named “Pragyan” has two instruments to conduct element and chemical composition experiments, and a robotic path planning exercise for future exploration.

Chandrayaan means “moon vehicle” in Hindi and Sanskrit. The rover is expected to remain operational for two weeks, or one lunar day, which is the period its solar-powered instruments are built.

potential challenges

Somnath said there were “many issues” on the lunar surface that ISRO would experience for the first time, especially lunar dust and temperature that could affect moving parts.

“Mechanisms, moving objects… there can get dust in there. It can get into moving parts and jam them, systems’ bearings can’t work, motors can’t work,” he told CNN News. Are.” 18 TV Channels.

Moon dust is different from Earth’s surface and in the absence of air on the Moon, it can stick to the rover’s materials, affecting its operation, he said.

The scientist said, “All this creates problems in those systems…so let’s see how it goes.” “We’ll face it…that’s why we’re looking. If we know everything, what’s the point of doing it?”

Completed with a budget of around 6.15 billion rupees ($75 million), it was India’s second attempt to land on the Moon. The previous mission, Chandrayaan-2 in 2019 successfully deployed an orbiter but its lander crashed.

The Moon’s rugged south pole is distinguished by its water ice, or frozen water, which could prove to be a source of fuel, oxygen and drinking water for future missions, but its rough terrain makes landing a challenge. Is.

Celebration

People across the country tuned in to watch Wednesday’s landing, with nearly 7 million people watching the YouTube live stream alone.

Prayers were held at places of worship and schools organized live screenings for students.

Apart from boosting India’s reputation as a space power and its reputation for cost-competitive space engineering, the landing is also seen as a major moment of national pride.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he has been congratulated by everyone since Wednesday and the world saw the successful landing not as an achievement of one country but of the whole of humanity.

“It is a matter of pride and pat on the back for Indian scientists,” Modi said at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg on Thursday.

Indian newspapers carried banner headlines which read: “The moon is Indian”, “India goes where no nation has gone before”, and “India illuminates the dark side of the moon”, and others.

The Times of India said in an editorial, “The moon landing is the most important Indian scientific achievement.”

It added, “If India is now in a position to take advantage of the surge in interest in basic science, it is for one reason: ISRO.”

($1 = 82.4610 Indian Rupees)