ISRO says Pragyan rover confirmed presence of Sulphur, detected Oxygen on moon

NEW DELHI, Aug 29: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday said the Pragyan rover's Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope confirmed the presence of sulphur in the lunar surface near the south pole, through the first-ever in-sity measurements.

ISRO said the rover's spectroscope also detected Aluminium, Calcium, Ferrous (Iron), Chromium, Titanium, Manganese, Silicon and Oxygen as expected. The search for hydrogen is underway.

“Preliminary analyses, graphically represented, have unveiled the presence of Aluminum (Al), Sulphur (S), Calcium (Ca), Iron (Fe), Chromium (Cr), and Titanium (Ti) on the lunar surface. Further measurements have revealed the presence of manganese (Mn), silicon (Si), and oxygen (O). Thorough investigation regarding the presence of Hydrogen is underway”, ISRO said in its statement.

“LIBS instrument is developed at the Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (LEOS)/ISRO, Bengaluru”, ISRO added.

The developments come after the Indian space agency said the Pragyan rover was “on way to uncover more secrets” of the moon. The rover was ramped out of the ‘Vikram' lander hours after the Chandrayaan 3's successful landing on the moon's south pole on August 23.

Yesterday, the space agency said that the Pragyan rover came across a four-metre diameter crater positioned 3 meters ahead of its location on the lunar surface yesterday.

“On August 27, 2023, the Rover came across a 4-meter diameter crater positioned 3 meters ahead of its location. The Rover was commanded to retrace the path. It's now safely heading on a new path”, ISRO had said.

India achieved history on August 23 by becoming the first country to touch down on the moon's South Pole.

Rover Pragyan Faces Large Crater During Moon Walk, Sent On 'New Path'

NEW DELHI, Aug 28: India's Pragyan rover has been safely re-routed after coming face-to-face with a four-meter crater on the Moon's surface.

The Indian Space Research Organisation or ISRO tweeted Monday afternoon to say the rover had spotted the crater a safe three metres from the edge and had been directed to a safer path.

The six-wheeled, solar-powered rover will amble around the relatively unmapped region and transmit images and scientific data over its two-week lifespan.

With only 10 days remaining for the completion of one lunar day, Nilesh M Desai, Director, Space Applications Centre (SAC) on Sunday, said that the Chandrayaan-3's rover module Pragyan, moving on the surface of the moon, is in a "race against time" and that the ISRO scientists are working to cover a maximum distance of the uncharted South pole through the six-wheeled rover.

He said that the moon mission's three main objectives were: soft landing on the lunar surface, movement of the Pragyan rover and obtaining science data via payloads, attached to the rover and lander Vikram.

"Our two main objectives have been accomplished successfully, but our third objective is underway," the scientist said.

Earlier on Sunday, the ISRO said the Chandrayaan-3 mission's lander module has successfully begun doing its set of experiments and subsequently relaying them back to the country's space agency's headquarters.

The space agency has also released a graph of the temperature variation on lunar surface with increase in depth measured by the ChaSTE payload onboard Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander module.

The payload has a temperature probe equipped with a controlled penetration mechanism capable of reaching a depth of 10 cm beneath the surface.

India took a giant leap on August 23, as the Chandrayaan-3 lander module successfully landed on the Moon's South pole, making it the first country to have achieved the historic feat.

The country became the fourth – after the US, China, and Russia – to have successfully landed on the moon's surface.

Moon Landing Done, India Now Aims For Sun. Launch Due In A Week

NEW DELHI, Aug 27: As the Chandrayaan-3 rover conducts experiments on the moon, scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have set their eyes on their next target - the Sun.

The Aditya-L1, India's first space observatory for solar research, is getting ready for launch at the country's main spaceport in Sriharikota.

What will Aditya-L1 do?

Aditya-L1 spacecraft is designed to provide remote observations of the solar corona and study the solar atmosphere

The spacecraft will extensively study the solar winds, which can cause disturbance on Earth and are commonly seen as "auroras".

In the long term, data from the mission could help better understand the sun's impact on Earth's climate patterns.

When will the Aditya-L1 mission launch?

The satellite is ready and has already reached Sriharikota, but the final date for the launch of Aditya-L1 will be announced in two days, ISRO chief S Somanath has said.

The event is expected to take place in the first week of September, with the space agency targetting a September 2 launch.

How far will the spacecraft travel?

The Aditya-L1 will hitch a ride on India's heavy-duty launch vehicle, the PSLV, to travel 1.5 million kilometres.

"After the launch, it will take 125 days from the earth to reach Lagrange point 1 (L1). We have to wait till then," says Somanath.

It will head to a kind of parking lot in space where objects tend to stay put because of balancing gravitational forces, reducing fuel consumption for the spacecraft.

Those positions are called Lagrange Points, named after Italian-French mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange.

How much will the mission cost?

ISRO has earned a reputation for world-beating cost competitiveness in space engineering that executives and planners expect will boost its now-privatised space industry.

With the Chandrayaan-3 mission, India became the first country to land near the South Pole of the moon. The mission cost ₹ 600 crore, equivalent to the cost of a couple of blockbuster Bollywood movies.

Aditya-L1 has been built at nearly half the cost of Chandrayaan-3. The government sanctioned ₹ 378 crore in 2019 for the mission to study the Sun's atmosphere. The ISRO hasn't given an official update on costs yet.

First Scientific Data Sent By Chandrayaan-3 From Moon's South Pole

NEW DELHI, Aug 27: The Indian space agency has obtained the first ever scientific data from the Moon's unexplored South Polar region, marking a major success of its Chandrayaan-3 mission.

The thermal probe of the Vikram lander recorded how temperature varies at surface, near surface and deeper on the lunar surface.

ChaSTE (Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment) measures the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the pole, to understand the thermal behaviour of the moon's surface, said the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

"It has a temperature probe equipped with a controlled penetration mechanism capable of reaching a depth of 10 cm beneath the surface. The probe is fitted with 10 individual temperature sensors," it added.

Moon has no atmosphere and the temperature varies drastically on the lunar surface. ISRO presented the variations in the form of a graph.

"The presented graph illustrates the temperature variations of the lunar surface/near-surface at various depths, as recorded during the probe's penetration. This is the first such profile for the lunar south pole. Detailed observations are underway," said ISRO.

ISRO scientist BHM Darukesha said the temperature recorded was surprisingly higher than what was expected. "We believed the temperature could be somewhere around 20-30 degrees centigrade on the surface but it is 70 degrees," he said, referring to the graph.

Science Minister Jitendra Singh said the Chandrayaan-3 mission is expected to send back information about the Moon's atmosphere, soil and minerals, which may be the first of its kind for the scientific community across the world.

“The low density and high thermal insulation of the regolith (Moon's layer of rocks) enhances its potential as a basic building block for future habitats while the assessment of the wide range of temperature variations are crucial for survivability,” the minister added.

ChaSTE, a key instrument mounted on the Vikram Lander, is equipped with 10 high-precision thermal sensors, which will dig into the moon's top soil to study temperature variations. It is the first-ever experiment to study the thermophysical properties of the first 10 cm of the lunar surface.

The Moon's surface undergoes substantial temperature variations during the lunar day and night. The minimum temperatures dip below 100 degrees Celsius around lunar midnight while the maximum go beyond 100 degrees around noon.

The porous lunar topsoil, about 5-20 metres thick, is expected to be an excellent insulator, due to which and the absence of air, very significant temperature difference is expected between the top surface and interior of the regolith.

Vikram lander touched down on August 23, making India the only country to land in the lunar South Polar region. The touchdown spot was later named Shiv Shakti point.

Chandrayaan-3 has accomplished two of its three objectives - soft landing and rover roving on the lunar surface - and the third - in-situ scientific experiments - is underway, ISRO said Saturday.

Chandrayaan-3 completes two out three mission objectives: ISRO

NEW DELHI, Aug 26: Days after landing on the lunar south pole, Chandrayaan 3 has ticked off several mission objectives. An update shared by the Indian Space Research Organisation on Saturday evening indicated that two out of three goals had already been reached. The rover and lander continue to conduct in-situ scientific experiments on the lunar surface.

“Of the 3 mission objectives, demonstration of a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface is accomplished. Demonstration of Rover roving on the moon is accomplished. Conducting in-situ scientific experiments is underway. All payloads are performing normally," the space agency tweeted.

The Chandrayaan-3 lander had successfully touched down on the lunar surface earlier this week. India is the fourth country to land on the moon and the first to reach its relatively unexplored south pole.

Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that the landing site would be named "Shiv Shakti Point" while the site where the Chandrayaan-2 lander crash-landed on the Moon's surface in 2019 would be known as "Tiranga Point".

Meanwhile the Indian Space Research Organisation has released a fresh video that shows the Pragyan rover roaming around Shiv Shakti point, the touchdown site of lander Vikram, on the lunar surface.

Chandrayaan-3 Lands On Moon

NEW DELHI, Aug 23: India's moon mission Chandrayaan-3 has made a successful soft landing near the moon's South Pole, bringing cheer to a billion hearts and propelling India to the elite space club. "India is on the moon," declared space agency ISRO chief S Somnath.

India has become the first nation to land near the Moon's South Pole, which is the hot new destination since traces of water was detected in the area. The touchdown took place at 6.04 pm amid huge cheers in the war room of ISRO in Bengaluru. Social media was flooded with congratulatory messages.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who joined in the event online from South Africa, where he is attending the BRICS Summit, said: "This moment is precious and unprecedented. This moment announces the victory bugle of a New India. This moment is the strength of 1.4 billion heartbeats".

"India reached the uncharted lunar South Pole because of our scientists' hard work and talent... Our moon mission is also based on the human-centric approach, which is why the success belongs to all humanity. It will help moon missions by the other countries in the future," he added.

"Thanks to everyone for your prayers, excitement and love for the nation. This success is dedicated to all of you. The next mission is Gaganyaan (human space flight). We are targeting to have it on September or in the first week of October," said ISRO chief S Somnath.

The successful landing of the Vikram lander has kicked up a lot of fine dust. The rover Pragyan was rolled out only after the dust had dispersed -- a process that takes a few hours. Unlike Earth, the dust will not settle in moon, given its lower gravitation.

The location has been chosen with care. The area, which yielded traces of water, is expected hold the key on lunar water ice, which could be a hugely valuable resource. That there is water on the moon's surface was detected by a NASA instrument aboard the ISRO's Chandrayaan-1 probe in 2009.

For the next 14 days -- equivalent to one moon day -- the rover Pragyan will send images and data from the surface of the moon. After 14 days, its activity is likely to slow down, given that it is powered by solar cells. The moon rover will be in touch with the Lander Vikram and the orbiter of Chandrayaan-2. The lander will relay data to ISRO, which has no direct link with the Rover.

The moon lander was launched on July 14, perched on a LVM 3 heavy-lift launch vehicle. It was placed in the lunar orbit on August 5. The tricky soft landing today was preceded by subtle maneuvers -- what the scientists called "20 minutes of terror". The lander, which was powered by four engines, cut off two to lose speed over the last 30 km. It then performed the challenging change from a horizontal to vertical position for touchdown and controlled its speed – a process that had gone wrong in Chandrayaan-2 in 2019.

Following the successful landing, India could rename the South Pole of the moon "Chandra Gangotri" – inspired by the country's Antarctica Mission Dakshin Gangotri, said senior journalist Pallava Bagla.

India has become the fourth country to land a rover on moon after USSR/Russia, United States and China. ISRO has a number of projects lined up -- one of them a mission to study the Sun, and a human space flight programme, Gaganyaan. Aditya-L1, the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun, is also getting ready for launch.

Russia's First Moon Mission In 47 Years Ends In A Crash

MOSCOW, Aug 20: The Luna-25 probe, Russia's first Moon mission in almost 50 years, has crashed on the Moon after an incident during pre-landing manoeuvres, Russian space agency Roscosmos said on Sunday.

Communication with Luna-25 was lost at 2:57 pm (1157 GMT) on Saturday, Roscosmos said.

According to preliminary findings, the lander "has ceased to exist following a collision with the Moon's surface", Roscosmos said.

"Measures taken on August 19 and 20 to locate the craft and make contact with it were unsuccessful."

The space agency said an investigation would be launched into the causes of the crash, without giving any indication of what technical problems might have occurred.

With Luna-25, Moscow had hoped to build on the legacy of its Soviet-era Luna programme, marking a return to independent lunar exploration in the face of growing isolation from the West.

The 800-kilogram Luna-25 probe was to have made a soft landing on the lunar south pole, the first in history.

Russia has not attempted to land on a celestial body since 1989, when the Soviet Union's ill-fated Phobos 2 probe to explore the moons of Mars failed due to an onboard computer malfunction.

Roscosmos boss Yuri Borisov had said the venture would be "risky", telling President Vladimir Putin face to face in June that the probability of it succeeding was "around 70 percent".

Lander Vikram Sends First Pics Of Moon After Detaching From Spacecraft

NEW DELHI, Aug 18: Chandrayaan 3's lander Vikram shared latest images of the moon today after completing a manoeuvre that took it closer to its destination.

India's space agency ISRO shared stunning images taken by the Lander Imager (LI) Camera-1, on X, formerly known as Twitter. The montage of images shows different craters of the moon, one of which is the Giordano Bruno crater, one of the youngest large craters on the moon.

The LI Camera -1 also captured images of the Harkhebi J crater, which has a diameter of approximately 43 km. The pictures were taken after the lander successfully detached from the spacecraft's propulsion yesterday.

"Thanks for the ride, mate," ISRO tweeted, imagining a conversation between the lander module and the spacecraft. The module is set to descend to a lower orbital after a deboosting or slowing down, which will bring it closer to the moon.

Today's process places the Lander Module in an orbit where Perilune (closest point to the Moon) is 30 kilometres and Apolune (farthest point from the Moon) is 100 km.

The lander will attempt a "soft landing" on the south polar region of the moon on August 23, while the propulsion module will continue to orbit around the moon and study the Earth's atmosphere. It will also accumulate signatures of exoplanets that would qualify for our habitability.

After the lander touches down and the lunar dust settles, 'Pragyaan' rover will roll down from the Vikram Lander. Then the lander will take images of the rover and vice-versa.

Following the moon landing, the rover will collect data on the composition and geology of the surface of the moon, paving the way for wide-ranging research.

Chandrayaan-3 Nears Exciting Finish, Russia Luna-25 Closes-In To Land Too

NEW DELHI, Aug 16: India's lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 is nearing its exciting climax. It is the closest to the moon before the tricky landing manoeuvre is attempted on August 23.

The Russian lunar probe Luna-25, too, is also closing in and will attempt a landing between August 21 and 23. Both Russia and India are targeting to land nearer the south pole of the moon.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) feels there is no such race. Both nations will have a new 'meeting point' on the moon.

Chandrayaan-3 was launched on July 14 from Sriharikota using the Launch Vehicle Mark-3. It reached the moon's orbit on August 5, and has been orbiting it since then.

Today, Chandryaan-3 was put in an orbit of 153 km by 163 km and all lunar-bound manoeuvres were completed. On August 17, the propulsion module and the lander Vikram will separate. The propulsion module will continue its journey in the same orbit.

On August 23, after the preloaded commands are triggered, the lander Vikram will attempt a soft landing on the moon's surface. ISRO has done many tests to ensure a failsafe landing.

As a final backup, the lander Vikram has a 'salvage mode' to land on the moon.

After the lander touches down and the lunar dust settles, the Pragyaan rover will be rolled down. Lander Vikram will take images of the Pragyaan rover and the rover will take images of the lander - the first Indian selfies from the lunar surface will arrive.

From then, the 14 Earth day planned scientific exploration of the moon begins.

Key details of the Russian moon probe 'Luna 25'

In a surprise move, Russia launched its lunar satellite named 'Luna 25' on August 11 - 47 years after the USSR last sent a lunar mission.

Russia used a heavy-lift rocket that sent the Luna 25 satellite directly on its journey to the moon, unlike India which used a circuitous slingshot route.

The Luna 25 probe is likely to enter the moon's orbit on August 16. Russia seeks to attempt a soft landing between August 21 and 23.

Both Luna-25 and Vikram are trying to land close to the south pole of the moon.

The Luna 25 satellite weighed 1,750 kg at lift-off and carries 30 kg of nine scientific experiments. It is only a robotic lander and has no rover in it. The expected mission life of Luna-25 is one year.

Luna 25 is powered by a radioactive generator, so it can last longer. Its journey from the Earth to the moon will last 10 days. The Russian spacecraft will conduct a study of the moon soil and look for water and ice.

Comparison: Chandrayaan-3 and Luna 25

Chandrayaan-3 will take 40 days to reach the moon surface, while Luna 25 will take just 10 days.

Russia used a heavier rocket, so it could send its lunar satellite directly to the moon; India used a medium-lift rocket and took a circuitous route; Chandryaan-3 weighs 3,921 kg and Luna 25 weighs 1,750 kg,

Chandrayaan-3 carries both the lander Vikram the rover Pragyaan. Luna 25 is only a lander mission, without a rover.

The lander Vikram weighs 1,745 kg and the Luna 25 lander weighs 800 kg. The expected mission life of Vikram lander is 14 Earth days; Luna 25 will last one year

Both the Russian and Indian lunar probes want to set the record of the first successful soft-landing near the moon's south pole.

India purposefully crash-landed its moon impact probe as part of Chandryaan-1 in 2008; Russia conducted its last lunar mission in 1976.

Russia has plans to conduct the Luna 26 and 27 mission. India has not announced any more lunar probes after Chandrayaan-3.

Russia and China together want to set up a lunar research base. India has also joined hands with the US by signing the Artemis Accords, which could lead to a permanent habitation on the moon.

Chandrayaan-3 Enters Lunar Orbit; Sends First Images Of Moon

NEW DELHI, Aug 6: The Indian Space Research Organisation, or ISRO, has released the first images of the Moon as viewed by Chandrayaan 3 - India's third unmanned Moon mission.

The Moon's cratered surface was captured by Chandrayan-3 after entering the lunar orbit on Saturday.

"The Moon, as viewed by Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft during Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) on August 5, 2023," tweeted the Mission's official Twitter handle.

The Moon mission has been smooth so far and the ISRO expects the Vikram lander to make a soft landing on the lunar surface later this month on August 23.

Chandrayaan-3 successfully entered the lunar orbit on Saturday, 22 days after it was launched for a complicated 41-day voyage to the lunar south pole where no other country has gone before.

"I am feeling lunar gravity," was Chandrayaan-3's message to the ISRO after the required maneuver that took it closer to the Moon was carried out without any glitch from the space agency's facility in Bengaluru.

The injection into the lunar orbit marked a major milestone in the space agency's ambitious ₹ 600 crore mission.

Musk-Zuckerberg Fight To Be Streamed Live On X, Proceeds To Go To Charity

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 6: Elon Musk, owner of X, today announced that his fight with Meta's CEO will be livestreamed on the microblogging platform, which was earlier called Twitter. The two tech titans had set the online world on fire last month when they accepted a challenge to face each other in a cage fight.

In a tweet, Musk said, "Zuck v Musk fight will be live-streamed on X."

He added that all proceeds from the fight will go to charity for veterans.

Earlier on Sunday, Musk had said on X that he was "lifting weights throughout the day, preparing for the fight", adding that he did not have time to work out so brings the weights to work.

When a user on X asked Musk the point of the fight, Musk responded by saying "It's a civilized form of war. Men love war".

Musk, 51, and Zuckerberg, 39, have baited each other for years with opposing views on everything from politics to artificial intelligence.

But the rivalry reached new heights when Meta announced a new app Threads - which has features similar to Twitter.

In a playful jibe, Musk told his fans on Twitter that he is up for a cage fight with Zuckerberg.

Zuckerberg, who has followed the trend of tech bosses getting buff and posting martial arts videos, responded on his Instagram Stories with a screenshot of the message and a response: "Send me location."

The exchange has provoked mirth on social media with plenty of fight predictions -- Zuckerberg emerging as the clear favourite.

"Please god let this happen," technology journalist Taylor Lorenz wrote on Twitter.

"The best Musk-Zuckerberg cage match is one in which two men enter and no men leave," wrote podcaster Bennett Tomlin.

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