Chandrayaan-3 lander instruments detect ‘natural’ movement; Details here

ILSA payload on Chandrayaan 3 Lander records lunar vibrations and a mysterious natural event, source under investigation. RAMBHA-LP makes first-ever measurements of lunar plasma environment.

ISRO said on Thursday that the initial analysis of the RAMBHA-LP payload’s first-ever measurements of the near-surface lunar plasma environment over the south pole region shows that the plasma there is relatively sparse.

While this was going on, the ILSA payload on the Chandrayaan 3 lander, which is used to analyse lunar seismic activity, recorded an event on August 26 that appeared to be natural in addition to the movements of the rover and other payloads. “The source of this event is under investigation,” said ISRO.

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Additionally, according to ISRO, the Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) payload sensor on the Chandrayaan 3 Lander, the first MEMS-based device on the moon, has captured movement data from the Rover and other payloads.

On August 26, 2023, it has also recorded what appears to be a natural event. The cause of this incident is being looked into.
The first instrument on the moon to use Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology is the Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) payload on the Chandrayaan 3 Lander. It has captured vibrations brought on by Rover and other cargo movements.
Six high-sensitivity accelerometers that are part of ILSA are made locally utilising the Silicon Micromachining technique. An electrode system with comb-shaped electrodes and a spring-mass system make up the main sensing component. The spring is deflected by external vibrations, which causes a change in capacitance that is then translated into voltage.

Measurement of ground vibrations caused by natural quakes, collisions, and manmade events is the main goal of ILSA. The figure shows the vibrations observed on August 25, 2023, during the rover’s navigation. A seemingly natural incident that happened on August 26, 2023 is also displayed. The cause of this incident is now being looked into.

“Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive Ionosphere and Atmosphere – Langmuir Probe (RAMBHA-LP) payload onboard Chandrayaan-3 Lander has made first-ever measurements of the near-surface Lunar plasma environment over the south polar region. The initial assessment indicates that the plasma near the lunar surface is relatively sparse,” ISRO said in a social media post.