'Smile, Please!': Pragyan Rover Clicks Image Of Vikram Lander On Lunar Surface

The Pragyan rover of Chandrayaan-3 has successfully captured an image of the Vikram lander situated on the lunar surface at the Moon's south pole on Wednesday. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced this development in a recent mission update. The snapshot was taken using the Pragyan rover's Navigation Camera. Chandrayaan-3 made a smooth landing on the Moon on August 23, 2023.

''Smile, please📸! Pragyan Rover clicked an image of Vikram Lander this morning. The image was taken by the Navigation Camera onboard the Rover (NavCam). NavCams for the Chandrayaan-3 Mission are developed by the Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (LEOS),'' ISRO wrote on X (Formely known as Twitter).

Chandrayaan-3 made a smooth landing on the Moon on August 23, 2023. The image captured by the Pragyan rover shows the Vikram lander lying on its side.

The rover is now exploring the lunar surface and is expected to provide valuable data about the Moon. Earlier, ISRO had announced a major breakthrough: its Pragyan rover identified the presence of sulphur in the lunar surface at the Moon's south pole.

The discovery was made using the rover's Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) payload, which fires a laser at the lunar surface to create a plasma that can then be analyzed to identify its composition. In addition to sulphur, the LIBS measurements also revealed the presence of other elements, including aluminium, iron, calcium, chromium, titanium, manganese, oxygen, and silicon.

The discovery of sulphur is significant for a number of reasons. First, sulphur is a rare element on the Moon, so its presence at the south pole suggests that there may be more to this region than meets the eye. Second, sulphur is commonly associated with volcanic processes, so its presence could indicate that the Moon's south pole was once more geologically active than it is today. Third, the discovery of sulphur could help scientists to better understand the Moon's history and composition.

The Pragyan rover is also on a mission to locate hydrogen on the Moon. Hydrogen is a highly sought-after element in space exploration, as it can be used to produce fuel and other essential materials. The detection of hydrogen on the Moon would be a major breakthrough, as it would open up new possibilities for space exploration and energy production.

The Pragyan rover is making steady progress at a pace of 10 cm/s. It is expected to continue its exploration of the Moon's south pole for the next few months.