At 6:04 PM on Wednesday, India will witness history as Chandrayaan-3's Lander Module (LM) is scheduled to make a touch down near the south polar region of the Moon. If successful, the rear wheels of the rover, named Pragyan, will leave imprints of the ISRO and the national emblem, depicting the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath, on the lunar surface -- symbolising India's presence on the moon.
A curtain raiser video shared by ISRO ahead of the launch of the mission, showcases the logo imprints on the rover. As Pragyan moves on the moon's surface, the rover’s rear wheels left behind the logo imprints.
After the soft-landing, the rover will descend from the lander's belly, onto the Moon's surface, using one of its side panels, which will act as a ramp. The lander and rover will have a mission life of one lunar day (about 14 earth days) to study the surroundings there. However, ISRO officials do not rule out the possibility of them coming to life for another lunar day.
The Moon's south pole region is also being explored because there could be a possibility of presence of water in permanently shadowed areas around it. The Chandrayaan-3 has four scientific instruments of paylods which will study moon quakes, how the surface of the moon allows heat to flow through it, plasma environment near the moon's surface and the accurate distance between the moon and the earth.
Beyond its scientific objectives, the rover will also leave behind imprints representing the ISRO and India's national emblem: the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath.
