India’s Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh informed that the second (2nd) Phase of Chandrayaan-3 mission will begin a few hours from now, when dawn breaks on the Moon after a gap of 14 days.
Currently, Indian Space and Research Organization (ISRO) is in the process of trying to reestablish communication with Chandrayaan-3’s solar-powered lander Vikram and rover Pragyan, to revive them so that they can continue with scientific experiments.
Dr Jitendra Singh emphatically asserted that India will become the first country in the world to start the 2nd phase of Lunar Mission after activation of communication circuit.
It may be recalled that the Lander and the Rover were put into sleep mode earlier this month on September 4 and 2 respectively, ahead of the lunar night of 14 days’ duration.
Further, he added that there is huge variation of temperature ranging from minus 150 degrees at night to 100 degrees during day time, and therefore, we all are hoping and praying that solar batteries and solar panels will help the beginning of unprecedented 2nd Phase of Moon Mission.
Noteworthy, over the years the budget of ISRO has witnessed a jump of over 142 percent from Rs 5,168 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 12, 543 Crore in the current financial year.
Source: https://pib.gov.in/
