Chandrayaan-3: Pragyan Rover Snaps Photo of Vikram Lander in Action

The Pragyan rover snapped a stunning shot of the Vikram lander working on the Moon, marking a milestone for India's Chandrayaan-3 moon exploration. The Navigation Camera (often referred to as NavCam) aboard the rover captured this intriguing image, dubbed the mission's standout photograph.

The NavCams of Pragyan serve as essential equipment and are crucial in directing it during the expedition on the moon's surface. According to Firstpost, the Pragyan rover's "eyes," developed by Bengaluru's Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (LEOS), guide it across challenging lunar environments. They help the rover navigate and avoid obstacles as a lunar GPS.

A Historic Moment for India

Since its safe landing on the Moon on August 23, 2023, ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 has achieved a lot. This puts India in the company of four other nations that have landed on the moon.

Pragyan took the image following the rover's detection of sulfur near the Moon's South Pole. In addition to sulfur, the robot's sensors discovered aluminum, calcium, iron, chromium, titanium, manganese, silicon, and oxygen. These results were formally announced by ISRO, who emphasized their importance for lunar research.

The Chandrayaan-3 Rover's Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument has taken the first in-situ measurements of the lunar surface's elemental composition close to the south pole. "These in-situ measurements confirm the presence of sulfur (S) in the region unambiguously, something that was not feasible by the instruments onboard the orbiters," the space agency revealed in a statement, as reported by NDTV.

The lunar surface's elemental composition near the south pole was measured in situ by the rover's laser detector, according to information released by ISRO. This research found sulfur and oxygen in lunar soil. These results provided unmistakable proof that sulfur was present. Other elements like aluminum, calcium, iron, chromium, titanium, manganese, silicon, and oxygen were also found.

The ISRO also noted that "A thorough investigation regarding the presence of hydrogen is underway."

An Important Achievement in Lunar Exploration

Notably, professionals in the space industry have praised Pragyan's results. According to NASA project scientist Noah Petro, the presence of sulfur in lunar soil has been recognized since the 1970s thanks to research on samples from the Apollo and Luna missions. But Pragyan's in-situ observations represent an important step forward in lunar study.

"I think ISRO is highlighting that it's in-situ - so it's important to have measured sulfur on the lunar surface," Petro said, as quoted by the BBC, in appreciation of ISRO's accomplishment, noting that sulfur is volatile without minerals. "So, if it's not part of a crystal, it's very cool to see it measured on the surface."

With its recent accomplishments, Chandrayaan-3 now stands as a monument to India's expanding expertise in space exploration and scientific research providing previously unheard-of information about the makeup and properties of Earth's natural satellite.