'India took a walk on the Moon...' Pragyan rover exits Chandrayaan-3 landing module

The Indian Space Research Organisation on Thursday morning informed that Pragyan Rover had rolled out of the Vikram lander module, which touched down flawlessly on the lunar surface on Thursday. ISRO had earlier announced that the rover would emerge from the landing module after the dust kicked up by the latter during the touchdown on lunar soil had settled.

ISRO posted on the micro-blogging site X (formerly Twitter) "Chandrayaan-3 ROVER: Made in India, Made for the MOON! The Ch-3 Rover ramped down from the Lander and India took a walk on the moon!"

The lander and rover will perform experiments on the lunar surface. After the lander's ejection, the payload carried by the propulsion module has a lifespan of three to six months. Both the lander and rover are designed for a mission duration of one lunar day, equivalent to 14 Earth days. The primary objectives of this mission include studying Earth from lunar orbit, measuring near-surface density variations, assessing thermal properties in the lunar surface near the polar region, monitoring seismic activity at the landing site, and elucidating the structure of the lunar crust and mantle.

To recall, President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had joined the nation in celebrating the historic Moon landing. In her message, the President said, "I once again congratulate the ISRO team and all fellow citizens for the successful deployment of Pragyan-rover from inside Vikram-lander. Its rolling out a few hours after the landing of Vikram marked the success of yet another stage of Chandrayan 3. I look forward with excitement, alongside my fellow citizens and scientists to the information and analyses that Pragyan will acquire and enrich our understanding of the moon."

Congratulating the nation and the scientists of ISRO, Prime Minister Modi said, "This achievement of the Chandrayaan Mission will propel India's journey beyond the Moon's orbit. We will test the limits of our solar system and continue working to realize the infinite possibilities of the universe for humanity. We have set many big and ambitious goals for the future. Soon, ISRO will launch the 'Aditya L-1' mission for in-depth study of the Sun. Following that, Venus is also on ISRO's agenda. Through the Gaganyaan mission, the country is diligently preparing for its first human spaceflight mission. India is repeatedly proving that the sky is not the limit."