The Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, which was already in orbit around the Moon, captured an image of the Chandradan-3 lander that successfully made a soft landing on its lunar surface at its South Pole.
The Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter is equipped with the Dual-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (DFSAR), which will be launched on September 6, 2023, to image the Chandraan-3 spacecraft. Its dual-band imaging system transmits microwaves in a specific frequency range and receives them from the surface, providing valuable information about the target’s physical characteristics and distance.
The Chandrayaan-2 orbiter had established a two-way connection with the Chandradan-3 lander module just before its soft landing in August, marking arguably the most significant advancement.
Additionally, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) from NASA took a picture of the Chandrayaan-3 landing site.
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft has been in close proximity to the Moon’s South Pole since its successful soft landing on August 23.
India made history by becoming the first country to successfully land the Chandrayaan-3 lander module on the moon’s South Pole, effectively ending the disappointment caused by the failed crash landing of its second spacecraft, Chandraan-2.
Following the US, China, and Russia, India became the fourth country to successfully touch down on the moon’s surface.
Upon landing, the Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover spent several hours exploring the surface of Mars to determine the presence of sulphur and other minor elements, as well as measuring temperature and listening for nearby movements.
Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission, was intended to achieve a safe and smooth landing, rover travel to the Moon’ surface, and scientific experiments in-processing.
In the meantime, the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover are in “sleep mode”, and they are expected to wake up on September 22, 2023.
The Indian Space Research organisation has released a 3-dimensional ‘anaglyph’ image of the Chandrayaan-3 Vikram lander from the south pole of our Moon in its latest update.
Stereo or multi-view images can be used to create an anaglyph, a visual representation of the object or terrain in three dimensions.
Agency inputs are included in the above.