Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram Closes the Ramp, Takes a Jump in New Stills from Moon

The Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) has released new images from its Chandrayaan-3 mission, showing a crucial maneuver carried out by the Vikram lander on the lunar surface.

The series of images, recently added to Isro’s Chandrayaan-3 data repository, shows the lander retracting its ramp in preparation for a jump experiment, followed by its subsequent landing and redeployment of its ramp.

These newly released images provide a detailed look at the lander’s capabilities and the precision of its operations on the Moon.

WATCH VIKRAM PERFORM A HOP EXPERIMENT

Retraction of the ramp was a crucial step before the jump experiment, which demonstrated the lander’s ability to take off and land again on the lunar surface. This maneuver was intended to test the vehicle’s systems and collect data for future lunar missions.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission, which made history by successfully landing near the South Pole of the Moon on August 23, 2023, regularly releases data and images to the scientific community.

ISRO has made these datasets available through its PRADAN (Policy based data Retrieval, Analytics, Dissemination And Notification) system, allowing researchers around the world to access and analyze the mission results.

The release of these images is part of Isro’s commitment to share scientific data from Chandrayaan-3 with the global research community.

The data, which includes more than 55 GB of information from the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover, is expected to contribute significantly to lunar research and future exploration efforts.

This video not only demonstrates the technical achievements of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, but also provides valuable insights into the mobility and operational capabilities of the lander on the lunar surface as India prepares for Chandrayaan-4.

As researchers continue to analyze the mission’s data, it is expected to yield new discoveries about the Moon’s composition, environment and potential resources.