India’s moon rover has successfully confirmed the presence of several key elements including sulphur, aluminium, calcium, iron, chromium, titanium, manganese, silicon, and oxygen on the lunar surface, The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Monday.
Chandaryan, a solar-powered rover will amble around the relatively unmapped South Pole and transmit images and scientific data as it searches for signs of frozen water that could help future astronaut missions as a potential source of drinking water or to make rocket fuel.
In a statement, ISRO said that the rover, named Chandrayaan-3, utilized the Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument to conduct in-situ measurements, marking a historic achievement for lunar exploration.
The spectrographic analysis has confirmed the presence of sulphur, aluminium, calcium, iron, chromium, titanium, manganese, silicon, and oxygen on the lunar surface
“The rover also will study the moon’s atmosphere and seismic activity, ISRO chairman S Somanath said in the statement.
On Monday, the rover’s route was reprogrammed when it came close to a 4-metre-wide (13-foot-wide) crater. “It’s now safely heading on a new path,” he added.
India’s Chandrayaan-3 made its groundbreaking landing near the relatively uncharted south pole of the moon last week.
Notably, the 1967 United Nations Outer Space Treaty prohibits any nation from claiming ownership of the moon, but commercial operations are not restricted.
The Artemis Accords, led by the United States to establish a framework for responsible moon exploration and resource utilization, have garnered 27 signatories. Notably absent from the list of signatories are China and Russia.