ISRO captures high-resolution images of Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander, Pragyan rover resting on Moon

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has captured high-resolution images of Chandrayaan-3's lander Vikram, and the Pragyan rover resting on the Moon. Blog post on Moon and Beyond (a blog run by independent researcher Chandra) on Wednesday (May 1) said that the new images were captured on March 15. 

"Following a successful touchdown at ShivShakti Statio, the Vikram Lander from Chandrayaan-3 deployed its rover, Pragyan, to navigate the cratered lunar surface," the blog post said.

"Equipped with integrated cameras, Pragyan transmitted video footage of its surroundings and commenced its research tasks, designated for a two-week exploration mission," it added.

On August 25 last year, ISRO reported that Pragyan had covered a distance of eight meters shortly after deployment. By the conclusion of its mission, the rover had successfully traversed approximately 101 metres.

Despite the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, Vikram and Pragyan did not withstand the harsh conditions of the Moon's southern environment and were presumed non-operational. Though the Indian space agency released images of Vikram lander on August 23, 2023, the exact location of Pragyan's final resting place remained unclear.

"Today, for the first time, we can clearly see the little Pragyan positioned right beside Vikram," the post added. 

The high-resolution image captured on March 15 this year showed significantly greater detail than last year's image shared by ISRO. 

The latest image was obtained from a reduced altitude of approximately 65 kilometres, allowing for a resolution of about 17 cm, compared to the initial post-landing image captured at the regular altitude of 100 kilometres with a resolution of 26 cm. 

"The difference in resolution is markedly apparent when observing these two images side by side; details such as the crater contours are exceptionally visible," the post added.

(With inputs from agencies)