Vikram Lander to wake up today? What we know about Phase-2 of Chandrayaan-3

After an eventful month on the lunar surface, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is gearing up for a groundbreaking second phase in the Chandrayaan-3 mission. The Vikram Lander, along with its accompanying rover Pragyan, which successfully landed on the Moon on August 23, is set to enter Phase 2 of its mission after a brief period of rest and recharge.

The mission has now entered a nerve-wracking waiting period as ISRO scientists anticipate a unique and pivotal event: the awakening of Vikram and Pragyan. This momentous occasion is expected to unfold as the temperature on the moon rises to above minus 10 degrees Celsius, a condition that will activate the vital communication circuit known as the "wake-up circuit."

Responding to the discussion on the Moon mission in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said all efforts were being made to awaken Vikram and Pragyan from their sleep.

"When we sleep on earth tonight, Vikram and Pragyan will perhaps wake up on the Moon," Singh said.

Vikram lander touched down near the south pole of the moon on August 23, successfully completing one of the Chandrayaan-3 mission's primary objectives of soft landing on the lunar surface.

On the prospects of Vikram Lander's awakening, Singh said that everyone connected to the mission is waiting for the temperature to rise on the moon.

"As the temperature rises above minus 10 degrees, a wake up call will go and Vikram and Pragyan will rise from their sleep," he said.

"This will happen for the first time in the world. Tomorrow, when the country will celebrate the passage of the women's reservation bill, perhaps, we will also have the opportunity to celebrate the occasion of the waking up of Vikram and Pragyan," the minister said.

"Second phase of Chandrayaan-3 is about to take off in the next few hours. The moment of anxiety is that we are waiting for the wake up call to get activated and Vikram and Pragyan to respond to that alarm. Once they do, the communication from the earth will begin and we will be the first in the world to have accomplished this," Singh said.