India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission has unveiled critical findings about the lunar surface at the Moon’s South Pole, according to recent data analysis from its Pragyan rover. These discoveries, which provide new insights into the distribution and origins of rock fragments in the region, represent a major leap in lunar geological studies.
The Pragyan rover, deployed by the Vikram lander following its successful lunar touchdown on August 23, 2023, covered 103 meters on the lunar surface within a single lunar day.
According to the data, the number and size of rock fragments increased significantly when the Pragyan rover moved 39 meters west of the landing site, Shiv Shakti Point — a designation given by PM Narendra Modi to Chandrayaan-3’s landing zone. The rover explored the Nectarian plains area between the Manzinus and Boguslawsky craters, a region of keen scientific interest. The fragments were found scattered around the rims, wall slopes, and floors of small craters, each no larger than 2 meters in diameter.
The findings, presented earlier this year at the International Conference on Planets, Exoplanets, and Habitability, highlighted an intriguing pattern: the number and size of rock fragments increased as the rover traveled 39 meters west from its landing site.
Two rock fragments discovered during the mission showed signs of space weathering, suggesting they have undergone significant degradation. These observations support previous studies indicating a gradual coarsening of rock fragments within the lunar regolith. This new information is expected to aid in developing strategies for potential resource utilization on the Moon.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission marked a historic achievement for India, making it the first country to successfully soft-land at the Lunar South Pole and the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, following the Soviet Union, the US, and China.
