In its latest update, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) stated that the Chandrayaan-3 mission's Vikram lander has detected "natural" seismic activities on the lunar surface. The space agency said that the Chandrayaan-3 lander's seismic activity-detecting apparatus also recorded vibrations taking place owing to the movements of the mission's Pragyan rover and other payloads.
What ISRO said about seismic activity?
"Instrument for the Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) payload on Chandrayaan 3 Lander -- the first Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology-based instrument on the moon -- has recorded the movements of Rover and other payloads," the ISRO wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).
"Additionally, it has recorded an event, appearing to be a natural one, on August 26, 2023. The source of this event is under investigation. ILSA payload is designed and realised LEOS, Bangalore. The deployment mechanism is developed by URSC, Bengaluru," the space agency added.
Everything is working fine: ISRO chief
Speaking about the Chandryaan-3 Mission, ISRO chief S Somanath said that everything is working fine and all the data is coming through very well. "Everything is working well. We are hopeful that by the end of 14 days, our mission will be successfully completed," he said.
"We are just getting ready for the launch. The rocket and satellite are ready. We completed the rehearsal for the launch. Tomorrow (September 1) we have to start the countdown for our solar mission," the ISRO chief added.
Pragyan rover clicks image of Vikram lander on lunar surface
Earlier on Wednesday, August 30, ISRO stated that the Pragyan rover clicked an image of the Vikram lander. The 'image of the mission' was taken by the Navigation Camera (NavCam) on board the rover. "Smile, please. Pragyan rover clicked the image of Vikram lander this morning," ISRO wrote on X. The lander and the rover are designed to operate for one lunar daylight period (about 14 Earth days).
Earlier this week, ISRO released the first observations from the ChaSTE payload onboard Vikram. ChaSTE (Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment) measures the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the pole, to understand the thermal behaviour of the Moon's surface.
ISRO has said two of the three Chandrayaan-3 mission objectives -- demonstration of a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, and demonstration of rover movement on the moon -- have been achieved, while the third -- in-situ scientific experiments -- are underway.
(With PTI inputs)
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