Chandrayaan-3 First Discovery on the Moon: What’s Up Next?

When India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft successfully arrived on the Moon a week ago, it was a significant achievement for the country. Thankfully, that is not the end of it! The first mission has already carried out its first scientific investigations near the lunar south pole, providing a fresh look at the Moon’s terrain. The fact that Chandrayaan-3 is the very first rover to ever investigate the area is definitely the best thing about it.

Below, you will find more information about the accomplishments of Chandrayaan-3.

These in-situ measurements confirm the presence of Sulphur (S) in the region unambiguously, something that was not feasible by the instruments onboard the orbiters, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said about the first discovery.

The onboard craft investigated the surface with lasers, and the results showed that sulfur was present there. The results of the preliminary tests also indicate the possible presence of chromium, titanium, aluminum, calcium, and iron.

Why is it so difficult to investigate the south pole of the Moon?

The lunar south pole is the region that is believed by scientists to contain the greatest amount of water on the Moon. While the United States, China, and Russia have all successfully touched down on the Moon, India and Russia have not been successful in their earlier attempts to make it to the South Pole. Everything is different now because of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. And we should also give credit to the rover’s various tools and functionalities!

The LIBS instrument, which is based on a laser, is included in the little rover, is only 25.8 kg, and also features an alpha-particle beam. For example, LIBS has the ability to identify elements by directing powerful lasers at the surface of the Moon, which generates heated plasma and enables the detection of the elements. That’s very remarkable, don’t you think?

If frozen water were to be discovered on the Moon’s surface, its potential value would skyrocket due to the fact that it may be put to use in the manufacture of oxygen-rich air for future lunar outposts. But who can say for sure what further heights Chandrayaan-3 would be able to reach?

Tiesha Elliott

Tiesha loves to share her passion for everything that’s beautiful in this world. Apart from writing on her beauty blog and running her own beauty channel on Youtube, she also enjoys traveling and photography. Tiesha covers various stories on the website.