Chandrayaan-3 mission achievements; Know how it will help future ISRO projects

India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission has achieved significant milestones and these will go a long way in helping ISRO in its future projects.

Chandrayaan-3 mission's Vikram lander touched down near the moon's south pole on August 23, 2023.

ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully demonstrated safe landing, rover operation (Pragyan Rover), and in-situ scientific experiments.

The Vikram lander and Pragyan rover carried out experiments for 1 lunar day. However, they entered sleep mode during the lunar night and, according to ISRO, there is no hope of revival of these two now.

In less than 14 Earth days, ISRO’s  Chandrayaan-3 mission provided valuable lunar data to the global scientific community.

The data revealed the presence of unexpected sulfur in the lunar soil. Along with sulfur, other elements like iron, titanium, aluminum and calcium have also been found in lunar soil.

The data obtained by the Pragyan rover shows that Sulfur could be more concentrated in the moon's polar soil, aiding future lunar exploration.

To detect Sulfur, Pragyan rover used two instruments: an alpha particle X-ray spectrometer and a laser-induced breakdown spectrometer, or LIBS. 

These measurements taken during the Chandrayaan-3 mission are a first on the moon and suggest unique soil characteristics.

Scientists hope that Sulfur obtained in Lunar soil might help astronauts survive on the moon's surface in future. 

Chandrayaan-3 mission achievements will enhance our understanding of the moon's geologic history, particularly in the unexplored south pole region.