India's Moon Rover Confirms Sulphur Presence on Lunar South Pole

Sulphur presence confirmed, along with aluminium, calcium, iron, and more.
Solar-powered rover Pragyan to explore uncharted south pole, transmit data.
India’s space program achieves milestones at lower costs, despite setbacks.

India’s lunar rover has officially verified the presence of sulphur on the moon’s southern pole, as announced by the country’s space agency.

Just last week, India achieved the historic feat of becoming the first nation to successfully land a spacecraft near the relatively unexplored southern pole of the Moon. This accomplishment also marked only the fourth instance of a successful moon landing globally.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) disclosed that the onboard Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument on the Chandrayaan-3 Rover performed the groundbreaking in-situ measurements of the lunar surface’s elemental composition near the south pole. Notably, this revealed the clear presence of sulphur in the region, an assertion previously not possible with the equipment aboard the orbiters.

Beyond sulphur, the spectrographic analysis conducted by the rover confirmed the existence of other elements like aluminium, calcium, iron, chromium, and titanium on the lunar surface. Furthermore, supplementary measurements showcased the presence of manganese, silicon, and oxygen.

The solar-powered, six-wheeled rover named Pragyan, translating to “Wisdom” in Sanskrit, is set to explore the relatively uncharted southern pole region of the Moon. Over its anticipated two-week lifespan, the rover will navigate the terrain, capturing images, and transmitting scientific data.

India’s space program has consistently demonstrated remarkable achievements while maintaining significantly lower costs compared to other nations’ space initiatives. Despite encountering some setbacks, India continues to make significant strides in space exploration.

Four years ago, the country faced a setback when a previous lunar mission’s final descent ended in failure. This was viewed as a substantial setback for India’s space program at the time.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission’s launch captured widespread public attention about six weeks ago, witnessed by thousands of enthusiastic spectators. Its triumphant touchdown on the lunar surface took place just days after a Russian lander crashed in the same vicinity.

India’s space achievements also include becoming the first Asian country to successfully place a craft into Mars’ orbit in 2014. Upcoming plans involve launching a probe toward the sun in September, executing a crewed mission into Earth’s orbit within the next year, collaborating with Japan for a lunar probe by 2025, and launching an orbital mission to Venus in the next couple of years.

India’s Moon Rover Confirms Sulphur Presence on Lunar South Pole

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