Bengaluru (Karnataka), September 1: The Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) reported on Thursday that the Pragyan Rover module of the Vikram lander has captured a natural event on the moon’s south pole. However, the source of this event is currently under investigation.
Using the ‘X’ platform (formerly known as Twitter), ISRO shared, “Chandrayaan-3 Mission: In-situ Scientific Experiments Instrument for the Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) payload on Chandrayaan 3 Lander — the first Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology-based instrument on the moon — has recorded the movements of Rover and other payloads. Additionally, it has recorded an event, appearing to be a natural one, on August 26, 2023. The source of this event is under investigation.”
Earlier, on Tuesday, ISRO announced that the Rover had confirmed the presence of Sulphur on the moon. ISRO stated, “Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) instrument onboard the Rover unambiguously confirms the presence of Sulphur (S) in the lunar surface near the south pole, through first-ever in-situ measurements. Al, Ca, Fe, Cr, Ti, Mn, Si, and O are also detected, as expected. Search for Hydrogen (H) is underway.”
The Rover of the Chandrayaan-3 mission descended from the Vikram lander to the lunar surface on August 25.
Chandrayaan-3 comprises three components: the propulsion module, which transported the lander and the rover module to a distance of 100 kilometers from the lunar orbit; the lander module, responsible for the successful soft landing on the lunar surface; and the rover module, designed for exploring lunar components.
India achieved a historic milestone on August 23 when the Chandrayaan-3 lander module successfully touched down on the moon’s South pole, making India the fourth country, following the US, China, and Russia, to achieve this feat.
In the meantime, ISRO is gearing up to launch its solar mission, Aditya-L1, on September 2. This mission marks India’s first foray into the study of the sun.
