ASHOK SHARMA, Associated Press

12 minutes in the past

This picture offered by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) taken by Pragyan rover of Vikram lander on Aug. 30, 2023. India’s moon rover has confirmed the presence of sulfur and detected a number of different parts on the floor close to the lunar south pole every week after the nation’s historic moon touchdown. ISRO says the rover’s laser-induced spectroscope instrument additionally has detected aluminum, iron, calcium, chromium, titanium, manganese, oxygen and silicon. (Indian Space Research Organisation by way of AP)

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s moon rover has accomplished its stroll on the lunar floor and been put into sleep mode lower than two weeks after its historic touchdown close to the lunar south pole, India’s area mission mentioned.

“The rover completes its assignments. It is now safely parked and set into sleep mode,” with daylight on that a part of the moon coming to an finish, the Indian Space Research Organization mentioned in a press release late Saturday.

The rover’s payloads are turned off and the info it collected has been transmitted to the Earth by way of the lander, the assertion mentioned.

The Chandrayaan-3 lander and rover had been anticipated to function just for one lunar day, which is the same as 14 days on Earth.

“Currently, the battery is fully charged. The solar panel is oriented to receive the light at the next sunrise expected on September 22, 2023. The receiver is kept on. Hoping for a successful awakening for another set of assignments!” the assertion mentioned.

There was no phrase on the result of the rover searches for indicators of frozen water on the lunar floor that might assist future astronaut missions, as a possible supply of ingesting water or to make rocket gas.

Earlier this week, the the area company mentioned the moon rover confirmed the presence of sulfur and detected a number of different parts. The rover’s laser-induced spectroscope instrument additionally detected aluminum, iron, calcium, chromium, titanium, manganese, oxygen and silicon on the floor, it mentioned.

The Indian Express newspaper mentioned the electronics on board the Indian moon mission should not designed to face up to very low temperatures, lower than minus 120 levels Celsius ( minus 184 levels Fahrenheit) through the nighttime on the moon. The lunar evening additionally extends for so long as 14 days on Earth.

Pallava Bagla, a science author and co-author of books on India’s area exploration, mentioned the rover has restricted battery energy.

The information is again on Earth and can be analyzed by Indian scientists as a primary look after which by the worldwide group, he mentioned

By dawn on the moon, the rover could or could not get up as a result of the electronics die at such chilly temperatures, Bagla mentioned.

“Making electronic circuits and components that can survive the deep cold temperature of the moon, that technology doesn’t exist in India,” he mentioned.

After a failed try and land on the moon in 2019, India final week joined the United States, the Soviet Union and China as solely the fourth nation to realize this milestone.

The profitable mission showcases India’s rising standing as a know-how and area powerhouse and dovetails with Prime Minister Narendra Modi need to mission a picture of an ascendant nation asserting its place among the many international elite.

The mission started greater than a month in the past at an estimated price of $75 million.

India’s success got here simply days after Russia’s Luna-25, which was aiming for a similar lunar area, spun into an uncontrolled orbit and crashed. It had been meant to be the primary profitable Russian lunar touchdown after a spot of 47 years.

Russia’s head of the state-controlled area company Roscosmos attributed the failure to the lack of know-how as a result of lengthy break in lunar analysis that adopted the final Soviet mission to the moon in 1976.

Active because the Sixties, India has launched satellites for itself and different international locations, and efficiently put one in orbit round Mars in 2014. India is planning its first mission to the International Space Station subsequent yr, in collaboration with the United States.