SOURCE: AFI
India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission is offering fresh insights into the Moon’s southern high-latitude region, thanks to data analysis from the Pragyan rover.
The findings, presented earlier this year at a scientific conference, reveal new details about the distribution and origin of rock fragments on the lunar surface. This significantly advances our understanding of lunar geology.
Pragyan, deployed by the Vikram lander, traveled about 103 meters across the lunar surface during a lunar day (roughly two Earth weeks). Its exploration unfolded in the Nectarian plains, a scientifically intriguing area between the Manzinus and Boguslawsky craters. Notably, India has named the Chandrayaan-3 lander’s touchdown site “Shiva Shakti Point.”
During its trek, Pragyan encountered numerous small rock fragments, ranging from 1 to 11.5 centimeters in size. These fragments were scattered around the rims, slopes, and floors of tiny craters, each no more than 2 meters wide.
Interestingly, researchers observed a pattern: the number and size of rock fragments increased as the rover moved westward from its landing site, particularly after traversing about 39 meters.
The study suggests that a nearby crater, roughly 10 meters in diameter and located west of the landing site, could be the source of these fragments. This hypothesis is being explored further.
Chandrayaan-3’s findings contribute to a broader understanding of the Moon’s geological processes and the composition of its surface materials.