The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is celebrating the first anniversary of Chandrayaan-3’s successful lunar landing by sharing new images taken by the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover. These fresh pictures provide a fascinating look at the mission’s journey and the challenges faced while exploring the Moon’s South Pole.
One notable image shows Pragyan’s attempt to imprint India’s national emblem on the lunar surface. Although the mission was a success overall, the lunar soil’s unexpected texture meant that the imprint was only partially achieved. ISRO noted, “While the mission was largely successful, the texture of the lunar soil in this area was different from what we expected, resulting in only a partial success with the imprint.”
This situation underscores the unpredictable nature of space missions and the difficulties of working in unexplored areas.
Besides providing stunning visuals, the Chandrayaan-3 mission has also yielded important scientific discoveries. During its journey across 100 meters of the Moon’s surface, Pragyan collected data that supports the “magma ocean” theory. This theory suggests that the Moon was once covered by a vast sea of molten rock. According to recent analysis published in the journal *Nature*, this theory has gained more support thanks to findings from the Chandrayaan-3 mission.
As India gears up to celebrate its first National Space Day on August 23rd, these new discoveries from Chandrayaan-3 highlight the country’s growing expertise in space exploration. The mission’s contributions to our understanding of the Moon demonstrate ISRO’s dedication to expanding our knowledge of space and its history.
https://x.com/ISROSpaceflight/status/1826599770170986646?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1826599770170986646%7Ctwgr%5Ee68f62d413eae3d23e2a113429359491464a8c9c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businesstoday.in%2Ftechnology%2Fnews%2Fstory%2Fisro-shares-new-images-of-chandrayaan-3-featuring-pragyan-rover-and-vikram-lander-442889-2024-08-24
