"India's Chandrayaan-3: Lunar Probes' Fate and Awakening Awaited"

India's Chandrayaan-3 robotic moon explorers, the lander Vikram and rover Pragyan, do not have heaters to survive the frigid lunar night, which can reach temperatures as low as -424°F (-253°C). The survival of the duo is left to chance, as they lack the radioisotope heater units commonly used in moon missions to keep hardware at sustainable operating temperatures. While previous lunar missions have used such heaters, it remains unclear why they were not included in Chandrayaan-3. The robotic duo successfully accomplished its science goals in the moon's south pole region, which is known for harboring frozen water.