Chandrayaan-3 rover retraces path after close encounter with lunar crater

While roaming around the Shiv Shakti point at the Lunar South Pole, the Chandrayaan-3 Pragyan Rover had an unexpected close encounter with a 4-meter diameter crater on Sunday, August 27, 2023.

For the unversed, Shiv Shakti is the name given to the point where Chandrayaan-3's Vikram Lander landed on August 23.

According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the lunar crater was just 3 meters ahead of the rover's location. A picture of the crater was also captured by the Navigation Camera onboard the rover.

To avoid any potential danger, the agency swiftly issued commands for the Pragyan Rover to retrace its path. The rover is now safely heading on a new path on the lunar surface, thanks to the agency's swift actions and the rover's remarkable roving capabilities.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:On August 27, 2023, the Rover came across a 4-meter diameter crater positioned 3 meters ahead of its location. The Rover was commanded to retrace the path. It's now safely heading on a new path.#Chandrayaan_3#Ch3 pic.twitter.com/QfOmqDYvSF

— ISRO (@isro) August 28, 2023

The Chandrayaan-3 Pragyan Rover hitched a ride to the Moon aboard the Vikram Lander. The rover is now roving on the rugged lunar terrain to carry out in-situ chemical analysis using onboard payloads:

• LASER Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) - to derive the chemical composition and infer mineralogical composition to enhance our understanding of the Lunar surface.
• Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) - To determine the elemental composition of Lunar soil and rocks around the lunar landing site.