“The Ch-3 Rover ramped down from the Lander and India took a walk on the Moon!” exclaimed the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on X (formerly Twitter). And now, the rover’s 14-day (one lunar day) science observations have officially begun.
Pragyan, which means “wisdom” in Sanskrit, rolled out of the Vikram lander just a few hours after the successful touchdown of Chandrayaan-3 near the lunar South Pole. Unlike its counterparts on Mars, Curiosity and Perseverance, Pragyan didn’t land in an ancient crater. But there’s a good reason for that.