Loss of Communication with 'Chandrayaan-3' Lander; Doubts About Survival Against Cold Lunar Night Temperatures

The Indian Space Research Organization announced that despite several days having passed since communication was lost with the 'Chandrayaan-3' lander, efforts to re-establish contact with the lunar rover have not yet yielded positive results. The 'Chandrayaan-3' rover, which successfully landed on the Moon's surface with the 'Vikram' lander on August 23 of this year, conducted its scientific experiments successfully and sent valuable information from the Moon's South Pole back to Earth. The Indian Space Research Organization stated that the two spacecraft went into sleep mode to withstand the cold lunar night temperatures, which can drop to minus 238 degrees Celsius and destroy electronic components. However, although they have been exposed to sunlight for the past four days to recharge their batteries using solar panels and restart operations, they have not sent any signs of life back to the ground control. Experts from the organization believe that the lack of signals from the two spacecraft increases doubts about their survival against the cold lunar night temperatures. David Cullen, a scientist at Cranfield University in the UK, stated, 'If Vikram and Chandrayaan do not wake up, it should not be considered a failure.' He noted that designing the spacecraft to survive the extreme temperature fluctuations between lunar night and day is challenging. The 'Chandrayaan-3' rover landed on this unknown region of the Moon on Wednesday, August 23, making India the first country to achieve this success just days after Russia's failure in a similar mission. India's attempt to land its spacecraft in this area failed in 2019, but this time everything went smoothly, leading to widespread celebrations in the world's most populous country. Indian media refer to this historic landing as the 'greatest scientific achievement' of the country. The head of the Indian Space Agency had told CNN a month ago that this rover would face many challenges on the lunar surface, including dust and temperature that could affect its moving parts and bearings, and even disable its motors. The 'Chandrayaan-3' mission has cost India about $75 million. In its previous attempt, the spacecraft was successfully sent into lunar orbit, but the lander crashed and was destroyed. The Moon's South Pole is of interest to scientists due to its ice, which could be a source of fuel, oxygen, and drinking water for future missions, but landing in this area is very difficult due to its uneven surface.