On August 23, 2023, India’s Vikram lunar lander carrying the Pragyan rover successfully landed on the south pole of the moon. The success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission makes India the fourth nation to land on the moon as well as the first nation to land on the south pole, an important achievement in further exploration of the moon.
India is one of several countries currently trying to explore the moon alongside the United States, Russia, and China, which all have ongoing lunar missions, and is the first to land on the moon since China’s last mission in 2020. The importance of Chandrayaan-3 is that it explores an uncharted part of the lunar landscape thought to potentially contain frozen water. The Chandrayaan-3 also cost only $75 million, compared to the much more expensive Russian Luna-25 and Chinese Chang’e missions. The Pragyan rover will be operational for approximately two weeks, running a series of scientific tests such as an analysis of minerals contained in the lunar surface.
The rover’s spectroscope, a scientific instrument that uses light to detect elements, has already confirmed the presence of sulfur on the surface of the south pole as it searches for frozen water, which may be of use in future lunar missions as a source of water and fuel. The Indian Space Research Organization has stated on its website that the spectroscope has also identified aluminum, iron, calcium, chromium, titanium, manganese, oxygen, and silicon, along with sulfur. The rover, alongside the Vikram lander, has also been able to send back a collection of photos from the lunar surface and landing site that are available to be viewed on YouTube and several news sites.
The success of the Chandrayaan-3 came just days after Russia’s Luna-25 mission crashed into the moon after spinning into an uncontrolled orbit. The Luna-25 would have been the first successful Russian lunar landing in 47 years. The success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission shows India can be a capable and efficient partner in future cooperative international missions. After another successful independent launch of a new solar satellite, India’s space program plans to collaborate with the United States for its first mission to the International Space Station.
