The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) commanded the Vikram Lander to fire its engines again, raising itself by about 40 cm, made it land safely at a distance of 30 – 40 cm away, announced the Indian space agency on Monday. Vikram lander on Earth's moon as clicked by the navigation camera onboard the Pragyan rover.(X(formerly Twitter)/@isro) Taking to social media platform X, the Indian space agency wrote, "Chandrayaan-3 Mission: Vikram soft-landed on Moon, again! Vikram Lander exceeded its mission objectives. It successfully underwent a hop experiment. On command, it fired the engines, elevated itself by about 40 cm as expected and landed safely at a distance of 30 – 40 cm away." The Indian space agency also shared the video of the manoeuvre captured by Vikram Lander's camera. It vividly shows the lander lifting and achieving a soft landing the second time. ISRO added that all systems of the lander performed nominally and were healthy. “Deployed Ramp, Chandra’s Surface Thermo physical Experiment (ChaSTE) and Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) were folded back and redeployed successfully after the experiment.” Pragyan Rover's sleep mode has already been activated and ISRO will shortly enable hibernation of Vikram lander too as lunar night nears the 'Shiv Shakti' Point. What next for Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover?Chandrayaan 3 has already accomplished its primary objectives, ISRO scientists, however, anticipate that both the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover could potentially recharge, provided they can endure the frigid temperatures that can drop as low as -200 degrees Celsius on the lunar surface. According to NASA's Moon Tracker, the lunar sunset commenced on September 4, initiating from the location where Chandrayaan-3's lander is positioned, known as Shiv Shakti Point by India. This lunar night is expected to last until September 6, with the subsequent lunar sunrise anticipated on September 20, according to NASA's tracker. However, it's worth noting that this sunrise might occur slightly later at the South Pole, potentially on September 22. ISRO expressed its hope for a successful reawakening of another series of tasks, adding that if not, the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover will remain as enduring representatives of India on the lunar surface. Get Latest India News along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Topics Chandrayaan
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