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PIX: Pragyan rover's amazing Moonwalk!

August 25, 2023 23:26 IST

Indian Space Research Organisation on Thursday said that Pragyan rover has begun its moonwalk on the lunar surface.

IMAGE: ISRO released a screengrab from a video of the Moon's image captured by the lander imager camera of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft prior to touchdown, August 25, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), ISRO said, "Chandrayaan-3 Mission. Chandrayaan-3 Rover to MOX, ISTRAC, Moon walk begins!"

Earlier on Friday, ISRO also released the images of the lander imager camera which captured the Moon's image just before the touchdown on the lunar surface.

 

"Here is how the lander imager camera captured the Moon's image just prior to touchdown," ISRO posted on X.

IMAGE: ISRO video grab showing the ramping down of the Chandrayaan-3 rover from the lander to the lunar surface, August 25, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

After a 40-day journey into space, the Chandrayaan-3 lander, 'Vikram', touched down on the uncharted lunar south pole on Wednesday evening, making India the first country to do so.

India also became only the fourth nation after the US, Russia and China to successfully conduct a lunar landing mission.

IMAGE: Ramping down of the Chandrayaan-3 rover from the lander to the lunar surface. Photograph: ANI Photo

The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft put down the Vikram lander on the lunar surface, tilting to a horizontal position ahead of landing.

Photograph: ANI Photo

The spacecraft was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota on July 14.

A GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle was used for the launch of the spacecraft that was placed in the lunar orbit on August 5 and since then, it went through a series of orbital manoeuvres before zeroing in on the moon’s surface.  

Source: ANI