All eyes are on India’s Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover, as the sun rises on earth morning. For if their batteries fire up, then the innovative duo should be able to continue with their exploration of moon. Mind you, Vikram already achieved a hop-and-a-skip the previous moon day. But will Vikram Lander wake up after a fourteen-day sleep, and display its solar array again?
Could Vikram Lander Ignore the Wake Up Call?
It’s a possibility we hope does not come true. You see, the Indian Space Research Organization chose to simplify Vikram’s mission by omitting radioisotope heater units. This meant its batteries would have to survive moon night on their own. Cold dark periods where the temperature falls to -292° F (-180° C), at least.
The theory was that the batteries would recover when moon day returned with temperatures rising to 248° Fahrenheit (120° Celsius). If this were the case, then the space vehicles should wake up so the research could continue. The Hindustan Times summarizes the situation as follows:
- The Indian Space Research Organization activated sleep mode as a precaution.
- They have been trying to reawaken the equipment since September 22, 2023.
- If they can achieve this, then Phase 2 studies can continue on the lunar surface.
- Their resuscitation efforts will continue regardless, through to October 6, 2023.
- However, if they do not succeed after fourteen days, then the mission will end.
Why the Hop-and-Skip Maneuver Matters
The hop-and-skip routine we referred to earlier, was more than a leap-for-joy after a successful landing. It was in fact the first time that an Indian lander left the moon’s surface, albeit for a few short moments
Hindustan Times explains how this was a precursor to a future goal to fly away after another mission. And then to return triumphantly to earth, carrying samples of moon surface for scientists to examine further.
“There is no definitive timeline for this yet,” an official explains. “But we are working on developing our systems in a way that it can undertake a return flight. The hop experiment was only a demonstration of the larger plan.”
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