In a viral video circulating across social media platforms, viewers are captivated by the breathtaking beauty of a Ganesh Chaturthi pandal in the city of dreams, Mumbai. This visual spectacle has left netizens in awe as the Pandal has enacted the success of India's lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3, from the launching of the rocket to the landing of the Vikram lander on the south poll of moon.
The pandal not only showcases the magnificence of Chandrayaan-3 but also highlights the challenging landing of the Vikram Lander and the remarkable capabilities of the Pragyan Rover. These elements have captured the hearts of all spectators, proudly narrating India's remarkable achievements.
Just a few days ago, another video went viral, offering a glimpse of Chandrayaan-3. In a Ganesh Chaturthi pandal in Chennai, a Chandrayaan-3 rocket prototype has been installed. What's remarkable about this display is that it's not just stationary; it's fully functional.
Chandrayaan-3
Chandrayaan-3, part of the Chandrayaan program by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), marks the third mission in this lunar exploration series. It was successfully launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on July 14, 2023. The mission comprises a lunar lander named Vikram and a lunar rover named Pragyan, similar to their counterparts on Chandrayaan-2, which launched in 2019.
On August 5, 2023, Chandrayaan-3 entered lunar orbit, and on August 23, at 18:03 IST (12:33 UTC), the lander made a successful touchdown near the lunar south pole. This achievement made India the fourth country to successfully land on the Moon and the first to do so near the lunar south pole.
However, on September 3, the lander executed a hop and repositioned itself approximately 30–40 cm (12–16 in) from its initial landing site.
Due to diminishing solar power with sunset at the landing site, both the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover entered a sleep mode on September 2 and 4, respectively. They were scheduled to resume operations at local sunrise on September 22. Regrettably, on September 22, the Vikram Lander and Pragyan rover failed to respond to their wake-up call.
