India’s space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), has released images of the far side of the Moon as its third lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3, attempts to locate a safe landing spot on the little-explored south pole. The pictures were taken by Vikram, the lander of the Chandrayaan-3 mission.
Vikram, which carries a rover in its belly, is scheduled to land on the Moon’s south pole on August 23. This comes shortly after Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the Moon, encountering problems as it moved into its pre-landing orbit. Luna-25 was Russia’s first Moon mission in nearly 50 years and was also intended to land on the south pole.
The Indian space agency stated that Vikram’s “hazard detection and avoidance” camera has been mapping the landing area and taking images to assist in locating a safe landing spot without boulders or deep trenches. The lunar far side, also known as “the dark side of the Moon,” presents a challenge for landing missions due to its unknown terrain.
Isro announced that the lander module of Chandrayaan-3 has successfully been lowered into a closer orbit of the Moon (25km by 134km) while awaiting the lunar sunrise to land. If successful, Chandrayaan-3 will become the first mission to land on the lunar south pole, making India the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon after the US, the former Soviet Union, and China.
Chandrayaan-3 is the third mission in India’s lunar exploration program, following the country’s first Moon mission in 2008. The previous mission, Chandrayaan-2, made significant discoveries, such as the presence of water molecules on the lunar surface and the existence of an atmosphere during daytime. However, the lander-rover of Chandrayaan-2 failed to make a soft landing and crashed during touchdown.
The Isro chief, Sreedhara Panicker Somanath, stated that the agency meticulously studied the data from Chandrayaan-2’s crash and conducted simulation exercises to rectify the issues for Chandrayaan-3. The mission weighs 3,900kg and cost 6.1bn rupees ($75m; £58m), with the lander module alone weighing about 1,500kg, including the 26kg-rover Pragyaan.
One of the primary objectives of Chandrayaan-3 is to search for water ice, which could potentially support human habitation on the Moon and serve as propellant for spacecraft heading to other distant destinations such as Mars. The south pole of the Moon remains largely unexplored, and scientists believe that water may exist in areas that are permanently shadowed.
The success of Chandrayaan-3 would mark another significant milestone for India’s space exploration efforts and contribute to humanity’s understanding of the Moon’s south pole, unlocking its potential for future scientific discoveries and space exploration endeavors.