Indias Chandrayaan-3 mission made a historic landing on the south pole of the moon in August 2023, and the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover had been put into “sleep mode” on September 2 and 4, respectively, to hibernate and protect the electrical components during the brutal conditions of a lunar night, which lasts for two weeks and sees temperatures on the moon drop to -250 degrees Celsius. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had been trying to re-establish communication with the spacecraft since it went into shutdown mode to survive the freezing lunar night conditions, but they were unable to make contact with the spacecraft.

ISRO said they would continue efforts to make contact with the spacecraft until September 30, 2023, when the next lunar sunset was scheduled. However, former ISRO chairman, AS Kiran Kumar, has shared his thoughts that there is no hope of reviving the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover. If the lander and rover do not wake up, they will stay on the moon as Indias lunar ambassador, as the Chandrayaan-3 mission had already achieved its main objectives before going into sleep mode.