--- title: "Hope Fades as Indian Rover Fails to Wake Before Sun Sets Again" description: "The Sun is officially setting on the landing spot of India's Chandrayaan-3 mission yet again, diminishing hopes of it ever waking up again." date: "2023-10-02" modified: "2023-10-02" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/indian-lunar-lander-rover-fails-wake-before-sun-sets-again" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "india" - "lunar lander" - "the digest" --- # Hope Fades as Indian Rover Fails to Wake Before Sun Sets Again ![The Sun is officially setting on the landing spot of India's Chandrayaan-3 mission yet again, diminishing hopes of it ever waking up again.]() *\Image: ISRO\* ## Sun Setter The Sun is officially setting on the landing spot of India's Chandrayaan-3 mission yet again, diminishing hopes of the country's lunar lander ever waking up. As of [September 30](), the receding Sun has started plunging the area into darkness. And without the warming rays of the Sun, temperatures are set to plunge, something that may have stopped the lander dubbed Vikram from waking up from its prolonged nap in the first place. ## Deep Sleep Just under a month ago, India's moon lander and accompanying Pragyaan rover [were put in "sleep mode"]() to await the next lunar sunrise. Things looked good at first, with the spacecrafts' batteries fully charged by the Sun's rays. "Hoping for a successful awakening for another set of assignments!" the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) [tweeted]() at the time. "Else, \[the lander\] will forever stay there as India's lunar ambassador." But the Sun rose and weeks later, with no signs of life from the rover. ISRO scientists haven't been able to make contact, saying that "[hopes are dimming]()" of Vikram and Pragyaan ever waking back up in an update last week. Now that the Sun is setting again, India's lander will likely have to survive yet another lengthy period of extreme cold, further diminishing its already slim chances of reawakening. The ISRO has yet to update us on the status of its lander, but things aren't exactly looking good. In short, India's lander will likely remain planted in place, a "lunar ambassador" serving as a reminder of the country's groundbreaking mission to the Moon. **More on the lander:** *[India's Moon Lander Appears to Have Died]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()