Has Chandrayaan 3 Rover Pragyan Found the Origin of Moon? Check Latest Findings of Chandryaan 3

ISRO’s Chandrayaan 3 has made headlines once again with a significant discovery on the moon's south pole. The rover Pragyan has identified small fragments of rocks scattered across the lunar surface, including the floor, slopes of walls, and rim of a small crater in the southern region.

Scientists expect that analysis of these rocks will provide insights into the origins of lunar surface rocks and help them understand the distribution patterns of these fragments on the moon.

Latest Finding at Shiv Shakti Point

At the landing site, named Shiv Shakti Point by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the rover traveled about 39 meters west and observed an increasing number of rocks and fragments. 

According to data shared at this year's International Conference on Planets, Exoplanets, and Habitability, these rocks likely originated from a nearby 10-meter-wide crater in the area. 

Two of these rock fragments showed signs of degradation due to exposure to space weathering, as mentioned in the report.

Chandrayaan 3‘s Historic Landing

On August 23, 2023, India's third lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3, created history by landing softly on the moon's south pole. The mission's lander was named Vikram, which carried a small rover called 'Pragyan'.

With this, India became the first country to set foot on the lunar south pole and the fourth country (after the US, China, and Russia) to safely land on Earth's own natural satellite.

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Pragyan Rover’s Key Features

The Pragyan rover covered a distance of approximately 103 meters during a single lunar day on the surface of the Moon. Weighing 27 kilograms, it is equipped with various instruments and cameras to facilitate its exploration mission. 

Rover had a soft landing on the lunar surface on August 23, 2023. On August 30, Pragyan verified the existence of sulfur on the lunar surface. 

Chadrayaan 3 Mission Objective

Chandrayaan-3 has successfully achieved several of its key objectives. Check below to know the accomplishments of this mission:

1. Successful Soft Landing: The Chandrayaan 3 mission aimed to achieve a soft landing on the moon, which was successfully accomplished on August 23, 2023.
2. To demonstrate rover roving on the moon: Chandrayaan 3's Rover Pragyan has been roving on the surface of the moon at a speed of 103 meters per lunar day. Thus making it a successful attempt.
3. To Conduct In-Situ Scientific Experiments: Pragyan has been continuously performing scientific experiments on the moon, sending key findings back to Earth. This includes the significant discovery of sulfur on the lunar surface on August 30.

The mission is still ongoing. It is expected that scientists will be able to learn a lot about the origin of the moon in this mission.

ISRO’s Chandryaan Mission

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) conducted two previous moon missions prior to Chandrayaan 3, named Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2.

• Chandrayaan 1: Launched in 2008 and operated until 2009 when it lost communication with the space station. 
• Chandrayaan 2: Launched in 2019, aimed for a soft landing but was unsuccessful in its attempt.
• Chandrayaan 3: The third lunar mission of ISRO taking lessons from Chandrayaan-2 achieved a successful soft landing on the moon.
• Chandrayaan 4: According to ISRO officials, the goal of the next Chandrayaan-4 mission is to return lunar samples from the Shiv Shakti point.

The US, the former Soviet Union, China, and most recently Japan are the only four countries—aside from India—that have successfully executed a soft landing on the lunar surface.

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