Chandrayaan-3 rover's lunar expedition surpasses 100 metres mark

Just over a week after the successful soft-landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the lunar surface, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced a remarkable achievement on Saturday. The Pragyan rover, a key component of the mission, has covered a distance of more than 100 meters on the Moon's surface, starting from its initial landing site, the Shiv Shakti Point. ISRO shared this milestone update on its official handle on platform X.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:

????Pragyan 100*

Meanwhile, over the Moon, Pragan Rover has traversed over 100 meters and continuing. pic.twitter.com/J1jR3rP6CZ

— ISRO (@isro) September 2, 2023

In a noteworthy development, the Pragyan rover utilized its navigation camera to capture an image of the Vikram lander on Wednesday. Since the historic soft landing of the Chandrayaan-3 mission on August 23, both the lander and rover have been diligently conducting in-situ scientific experiments. The rover's activities have included traversing the lunar terrain, investigating craters, and analyzing the Moon's elemental composition.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:

Smile, please????!

Pragyan Rover clicked an image of Vikram Lander this morning.

The 'image of the mission' was taken by the Navigation Camera onboard the Rover (NavCam).

NavCams for the Chandrayaan-3 Mission are developed by the Laboratory for… pic.twitter.com/Oece2bi6zE

— ISRO (@isro) August 30, 2023

Impressively, the Pragyan rover has now completed nearly half of its designated operational lunar day, equivalent to 14 Earth days. This accomplishment has garnered acclaim from space agencies and leaders worldwide. India's successful landing makes it only the fourth nation in history, following the former Soviet Union, the United States, and China, to achieve a successful lunar landing. Furthermore, India has the distinction of being the first country to reach the Moon's south polar region.