India “Slept” the First Spacecraft to Land on the South Pole of the Moon: So Why?

India, which made history by succeeding in landing on the southern part of the Moon on August 23, made a new statement about the Chandrayaan-3 mission. Authorities announced that they “put the lunar explorer to sleep” for a few weeks with the spacecraft they landed on the Moon. This pre-planned situation will continue until September 22. So why will India put its spacecraft to sleep when it can explore the Moon?

The Moon’s south polar region is not always bright due to orbital movements. Studies conducted by scientists have revealed that the south pole of the Moon will remain dark for 14 days. India, which already knew this situation, created a calendar within the scope of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. According to this calendar, spacecraft landed on the Moon must not operate at certain periods, that is, must be put to sleep. This is where India will wait until September 22.

Spacecraft named Vikram and Pragyan need to be charged

*One of the first images obtained by India on the Moon.

The descent module, which India calls Vikram, and the explorer named Pragyan, are powered by solar energy, as can be expected. Spacecraft with internal batteries will not be able to receive light for 14 days and therefore cannot be charged. The spacecraft, which will wait until the sun appears again, will charge in the next stage and continue operating. Of course, the first reboot will be a bit problematic. A possible technical problem or failure to charge could lead to India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission being left unfinished.

In the latest statements made by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), it was stated that everything was fine. In fact, Vikram fired its engines on the Moon’s surface, as planned, and rose 40 centimeters. The landing module, which displaced 30-40 centimeters while in the air, did not experience any problems throughout this process. We will see together what will happen after September 22.