In a groundbreaking lunar exploration mission, India’s autonomous rover, Pragyaan, has confirmed the presence of sulfur and a variety of other elements near the Moon’s south pole, just one week after its historic landing.
Pragyaan robot weighs only as much as a sheepdog. Photo: ISRO.
In addition to sulfur, the rover’s laser spectroscopy instrument detected aluminum, iron, calcium, chromium, titanium, manganese, oxygen, and silicon on the lunar surface, as reported by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on August 29th. Pragyaan descended from the ramp on the Vikram lander as part of the Chandrayaan-3 mission after touching down near the Moon’s south pole on August 23rd. The robot is expected to conduct experiments over a period of 14 days. This recent discovery marks its first scientific observation during its south pole exploration journey.
On August 28th, the rover’s path was reprogrammed as it approached a 4-meter-wide crater, enabling it to navigate safely. The wheeled vehicle moves at a speed of about 10 cm/second to minimize vibrations and damage due to the rugged lunar terrain.
Weighing 25.9 kg, Pragyaan is roughly equivalent to a small German shepherd. It is currently exploring an area that no robot or astronaut has visited before. Pragyaan’s scientific observations are crucial for understanding the potential extraction of lunar water, a goal pursued by many nations. The robot is equipped with a laser and an alpha-particle X-ray spectrometer to study the composition of the lunar soil at the south pole, believed to be the richest region in water ice on Earth’s natural satellite. Water ice could be harvested for future lunar habitats, providing breathable oxygen and serving as rocket fuel for deep-space missions to Mars and beyond.
The autonomous rover will also utilize its RAMBHA and ILSA instruments to study the lunar atmosphere and collect samples for further surface structure analysis, according to the Times of India. However, its Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument conducted its first-ever measurements of the soil composition at the south pole. The laser emits powerful pulses onto the lunar surface, creating extremely hot plasma. Each element in the periodic table emits a unique set of light wavelengths. Scientists can analyze the light from the plasma to identify wavelength patterns and determine the chemical composition of the soil.