Pragyan (Chandrayaan-2)

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Mission typeLunar rover
OperatorISRO
Mission duration0 days (landing failure)
ManufacturerISRO
Pragyan
Pragyan mounted on the ramp of Vikram lander
Mission typeLunar rover
OperatorISRO
Mission duration0 days (landing failure)
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerISRO
Landing mass27 kg (60 lb)
Dimensions0.9 m × 0.75 m × 0.85 m (3.0 ft × 2.5 ft × 2.8 ft)
Power50 W from solar panels
Start of mission
Launch date22 July 2019 (2019-07-22) 14:43:12 IST (09:13:12 UTC)
RocketLVM3 M1, LVM3 M4
Launch siteSDSC Second launch pad
ContractorISRO
Deployed fromVikram
Deployment date7 September 2019 (intended,[1] never deployed from destroyed lander)[2]
Lunar rover
Landing date6 September 2019, 20:00–21:00 UTC
Landing siteAttempted: 70.90267°S 22.78110°E[3] (Intended)
Crash landing at least 500m away from planned site. (Actual)
Distance driven500 m (1,600 ft) (intended)

Pragyan (from Sanskrit: प्रज्ञान, romanized: prajñāna, lit.'wisdom')[4][5] is a lunar rover that forms part of Chandrayaan-2, a lunar mission developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).[6] The rover was launched as part of Chandrayaan-2 on 22 July 2019 and was destroyed with its lander, Vikram, when it crashed on the Moon on 6 September 2019.[2][7]

In July 2023, Chandrayaan-3 launched, carrying new versions of Vikram and Pragyan,[8] which successfully landed near the lunar south pole on 23 August 2023.[9]

Pragyan has a mass of about 27 kg (60 lb) and dimensions of 0.9 m × 0.75 m × 0.85 m (3.0 ft × 2.5 ft × 2.8 ft), with a power output of 50 watts.[10] It is designed to operate on solar power.[11][12] The rover moves on six wheels and is intended to traverse 500 m (1,600 ft) on the lunar surface at the rate of 1 cm (0.39 in) per second, performing on-site analysis and sending the data to its lander for relay back to the Earth.[13][14][15][16][17] For navigation, the rover is equipped with:

  • Stereoscopic camera-based 3D vision: two 1-megapixel, monochromatic NAVCAMs in front of the rover to provide the ground control team with a 3D view of the surrounding terrain, and help in path-planning by generating a digital elevation model of the terrain.[18] IIT Kanpur contributed to the development of the subsystems for light-based map generation and motion planning for the rover.[19]
  • Control and motor dynamics: the rover design has a rocker-bogie suspension system and six wheels, each driven by independent brushless DC electric motors. Steering is accomplished by differential speed of the wheels or skid steering.[20]

The expected operating time of the rover is one lunar day or around 14 Earth days, as its electronics are not designed to endure the frigid lunar night. Its power system has a solar-powered sleep and wake-up cycle, which could result in a longer operation time than planned.[21][22]

History

See also

References

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