A few hours after Chandrayaan-2's landing module Vikram touches down on the moon early Saturday, the moon rover 'Pragyaan' will emerge from the lander and roll out onto the lunar surface.
The touchdown of 'Vikram' is scheduled between 1.30 am and 2.30 am, followed by the rollout of the rover between 5.30 a.m and 6.30 a.m.
In a short video, ISRO explained Pragyaan and its functions.
The cubical vehicle, exclusively designed for travelling on the moon, is fitted with a solar panel.
Two navigation cameras, in function like the machine's left and right eyes, are mounted on top of it besides an Alpha particle X-ray spectrometer, a receive and transmit antenna and the 'rocker bogie' assembly (a suspension arrangement also used by NASA in its rovers).
Hours after touchdown, Vikram's door will open creating a slope for the matchbox-shaped six-wheeled rover to move onto the lunar surface and carry out its investigations.
Soon after rolling on to the moon's soil, Pragyaan's battery will activate and release its solar panel.
The rover will transmit its scans to Vikram which will then relay them to earth, where mission control will receive them and handle path planning. Subsequently, instructions to move the rover will be transmitted from earth.
The six wheels of the rover are attached with a 'rocker bogie' to overcome obstacles as it moves forward.
It can even cross obstacles at ease with a movement range of 50 mm upwards and downwards, according to ISRO.
While controlling its movement, ISRO's Mission Control Station will pass on instructions to Pragyaan to stop and determine the elemental composition of lunar rocks and soil using a payload called APXS on the front, right below the two cameras.
There will be another payload, LIBS, just below the rover's body near the right side frontal wheel, which will derive the elemental composition of the lunar surface.
The rover will move around at a maximum range of 500 metres from Vikram.
Its mission period is of 14 earth days (one lunar day) during which it will perform a series of tests. The mission objective is to locate the presence of water and other important minerals on the lunar surface.
