ISRO working on tech to extend lunar lander life up to 200 days: Chairman Narayanan
New Delhi, June 13
The Indian Space Research Organisation is working on developing technologies that could significantly extend the operational life of future lunar landers to as much as 100-200 days, a major advancement over the current 14-day lifespan achieved by Chandrayaan-3, ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan said on Saturday.
The initiative -- undertaken in collaboration with the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) -- aims to address one of the most challenging aspects of lunar exploration, surviving the extreme conditions of the Moon's night, when temperatures drop sharply and solar power becomes unavailable.
Explaining the challenge, Narayanan noted that while India successfully achieved a historic soft landing near the Moon's south pole with Chandrayaan-3 in August 2023, the Vikram lander remained operational only for the duration of the lunar day.
Once the lunar night set in, the absence of sunlight led to a loss of power, limiting operations.
To overcome this limitation, ISRO and DAE are now developing artificial heating systems that could protect spacecraft electronics and instruments during the prolonged lunar night.
These systems are expected to ensure continuous functionality even in extremely low-temperature conditions.
"We are going to develop artificial heaters. If we succeed, such landers can survive for 100 to 200 days instead of only 14 days," Narayanan said.
India made history on August 23, 2023, by becoming the first country to land near the Moon's south pole, a region considered crucial for future exploration due to the possible presence of water ice.
Earlier in June, the government's Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) has selected three Indian space startups -- Astrobase Space Technologies, SatSure Analytics India and TM2SPACE Technologies -- as the first set of Non-Governmental Entities (NGEs) for funding under its Technology Adoption Fund (TAF) scheme.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Amazing progress! The artificial heater concept sounds like a brilliant solution to survive lunar nights. India is truly pushing boundaries in space tech. Proud moment for all of us. 😊
Kudos to ISRO! But I wonder, will the artificial heaters consume too much power? Need to balance heating with energy efficiency. Still, proud of our scientists working on such challenges. Hope this leads to more discoveries near the south pole. 🌙
Incredible ambition! Extending operational life could mean more scientific experiments and data collection. India's space program keeps getting better. Also great to see startups like Astrobase and SatSure getting support. 😃
ISRO never ceases to amaze! From Chandrayaan-3's historic landing to planning 200-day missions—this is world-class work. The collaboration with DAE is smart. Jai Hind! 🇮🇳
Respect to ISRO for tackling the toughest challenge in lunar missions: surviving the extreme cold. The heater tech could be a breakthrough. Would love to see India lead in long-duration lunar exploration. Well done! 👍
While it's exciting, we
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