Chandrayaan-3: Key Findings & Achievements in Lunar Exploration

Description

Findings from Chandrayaan 3 mission

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Context:

India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission, which successfully landed near the Moon’s south pole almost a year ago, has begun yielding significant scientific findings.
The Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) on the rover has provided new insights into the Moon’s surface composition and geological history.
These findings, published in the journal Nature, support the hypothesis of a lunar magma ocean (LMO) in the Moon’s early history and suggest a churning of the lunar crust, potentially caused by an ancient asteroid impact.

Key Findings of Chandrayaan-3’s APXS

Major Findings	Significance of the Findings
Uniform Terrain: The terrain near Chandrayaan-3's landing site is notably uniform, offering insights into the geological processes at the lunar south pole.	Polar Studies: The exploration of the Moon's south pole, believed to harbor water ice, opens new avenues for research and potential future lunar bases.
Evidence of a Magma Ocean: Data supports the hypothesis of a primordial magma ocean on the Moon, indicating significant crustal churning due to asteroid impacts.	Geological Insights: Understanding the Moon's early magma ocean phase helps scientists infer similar processes that might have occurred on Earth and other planetary bodies.
Lunar Soil Composition: The APXS on the rover module provided detailed measurements of the lunar soil, which is crucial for understanding the moon’s mineral composition and geological history.	Resource Identification: Detailed soil composition studies assist in identifying resources that could support future human and robotic missions.

(NOTE- Data suggests that an ocean of molten rocks once covered the Moon’s south pole, supporting the theory that magma formed the Moon’s surface about 4.5 billion years ago.)

Technological Achievements

Chandrayaan-3’s successful soft landing and rover deployment demonstrate India's advancing space capabilities.

Key technological achievements include:

Precision Landing: Achieving a controlled landing near the Moon's south pole.
Strong Roving: Ensuring the rover’s mobility on the lunar surface to conduct scientific experiments.

Aspect	Chandrayaan-1	Chandrayaan-2	Chandrayaan-3
Launch Date	October 22, 2008	July 22, 2019	July 14, 2023
Mission Objective	To explore and map the Moon's surface	To explore the lunar surface and attempt a soft landing on the Moon's south pole	To achieve a successful soft landing on the Moon's south pole
Key Achievements	- Discovered water molecules on the Moon - Mapped the Moon in various wavelengths	- Successfully entered lunar orbit - Vikram lander crash-landed - Orbiter provided high-resolution images of the lunar surface	- Achieved a successful soft landing near the lunar south pole - Deployed the Pragyan rover for surface exploration
Orbiter	Yes	Yes	No (Mission did not include an orbiter)
Lander	No	Yes (Vikram, crash-landed)	Yes (Vikram, successfully landed)
Rover	No	Yes (Pragyan, lost with the lander)	Yes (Pragyan, successfully deployed)
Instruments	Moon Impact Probe (MIP) Terrain Mapping Camera Hyper Spectral Imager (HySI) Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument (LLRI) Sub-KeV Atom Reflecting Analyzer (SARA)	Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC 2) Solar X-ray Monitor (XSM) Dual Frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (DFSAR) Imaging IR Spectrometer (IIRS) Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive Ionosphere and Atmosphere (RAMBHA)	Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS)
Mission Outcome	Successful	Partial success (orbiter successful, lander failed)	Successful

Challenges and Future Prospects

Despite its successes, the Chandrayaan-3 mission faced various challenges, such as ensuring communication and navigation in the harsh lunar environment.

Future missions could build on these findings, focusing on:

Extended Exploration: Prolonged study of the lunar poles to gather more comprehensive data.
Human Missions: Preparing for potential manned missions to the Moon, leveraging the data from Chandrayaan-3.

Conclusion

Chandrayaan-3 represents a significant milestone in lunar exploration, providing valuable insights into the Moon's geology and composition.
These findings not only enrich scientific knowledge but also pave the way for future lunar missions.
India's continued efforts in space exploration stand as a testament to its growing prowess in space technology.

CHANDRAYAAN MISSION- https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/chandrayaan-4#:~:text=The%20LUPEX%20mission%20(Chandrayaan%2D4)%20is%20a%20joint%20lunar,for%20establishing%20a%20lunar%20station.

https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/chandrayaan-3-makes-soft-landing

https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/chandrayaan-3-1

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-sci-tech/what-the-first-findings-from-chandrayaan-3-mission-tell-us-about-the-moon-9528323/

PRACTICE QUESTION

The terms ISDra2TnpB and TnpB were recently in news, they are related to which among the following options?

A. Space Technology

B. Medical Research

C. Agricultural Research

D. Genetic Engineering

Answer: D

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