Watch I Pragyan Rover Ramps onto Moon from Vikram Lander

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday released the first visuals of Pragyan ramping down onto the moon from the Vikram Lander.

The 30-second video showed the rover rolling out of the lander, Vikram, on the day of the touchdown. The rollout was facilitated by a two-segment ramp and was captured by the lander imager camera.

… … and here is how the Chandrayaan-3 Rover ramped down from the Lander to the Lunar surface. pic.twitter.com/nEU8s1At0W

— ISRO (@isro) August 25, 2023

ISRO also released a video that showed the deployment of the ramp and the solar panel. The 26 deployment mechanisms in Chandrayaan-3 were developed at the U R Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru.

A two-segment ramp facilitated the roll-down of the rover. A solar panel enabled the rover to generate power.

Here is how the rapid deployment of the ramp and solar panel took place, prior to the rolldown of the rover.

The deployment mechanisms, totalling 26 in the Ch-3… pic.twitter.com/kB6dOXO9F8

— ISRO (@isro) August 25, 2023

The lander and the rover have a mission life of one lunar day (14 earth days). While the rover communicates with the lander, the lander communicates with the Indian Deep Space Network, the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, and the rover.