Exploring the Moon: Indian Craft Captures Lunar Surface Images Before Historic Landing Try

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has recently shared the images of lunar surface. An Indian spacecraft ( the Chandrayaan-3), currently heading toward the moon’s south pole, captured them. The images were captured from the Chandrayaan-3 mission by a couple of the spacecraft’s cameras, the Lander Imager Camera-1 and the Lander Position Detection Camera. These images will probably aid the space mission with the upcoming landing attempt which will be made soon.

The pictures depict multiple craters on the moon’s surface, which include one named after the Italian philosopher Giordano Bruno, and another named Harkhebi. In one of the images, the Earth can be seen at the corner, slightly visible over the frame’s edge.

The spacecraft consists of a lander named Vikram and a rover titled Pragyan. The propulsion module of the spacecraft remains in lunar orbit to function as an orbiter. The mission follows the suit of Chandrayaan-2, which was sent to the moon in 2019, and achieved a successful orbiter spacecraft but encountered a failed landing attempt.

The main plan for this mission is to reach the lunar surface safely and have the rover explore the surrounding area to the landing site using instruments that include a spectrometer and a spectroscope, specifically to understand the moon’s composition. The rover will operate for a couple of weeks, performing numerous experiments.

Moon’s south pole holds significance for researchers due to the potential presence of water ice deposits. These deposits are vital for upcoming crewed lunar missions, which include NASA’s plans under the Artemis program for long-term lunar exploration.

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