Why Chandrayaan-3 Wants To Be The First Mission To Probe Moon's South Pole

The Chandrayaan-3 took off today, marking the continuation of the world's first mission that hopes to make a soft-landing near the Moon's south pole. The Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2019 aimed to do the same, but failed to execute a soft-landing on the Moon.

ISRO officials say that India's Chandrayaan-3 will reach the lunar orbit about a month after its launch. Its lander Vikram, and rover Pragyaan will attempt to land on the Moon on August 23.

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Why the Moon's south pole?

The landing site for the Chandrayaan-3 is pretty much the same as Chandrayaan-2 - near the Moon's south pole at 70 degrees latitude. If all goes well, Chandrayaan-3 will become the world's first mission to soft-land near the south pole on Moon.

Most Moon missions usually land away from the poles, because it's a lot easier to land a spacecraft near the Moon's equator. The temperature and landscape in that region makes operation of technology easier. The polar regions are tricky because many parts are in complete darkness at all times and there is never any sunlight, with temperature touching -230 degree Celsius.

ISRO

Also read: Chandrayaan-2 Discovers Argon Gas In Moon's Exosphere, Offering Exciting Insights

These conditions can make the operation of instruments difficult, along with the presence of large craters that are as huge as thousands of kilometres.

ISRO scientists want to explore the polar regions of the Moon because ice molecules could be present in the deep craters in this region. This was also indicated by the Chandrayaan-1 mission.

Also, since freezing temperatures keep everything trapped, the conditions on this region of the Moon could hold clues about the early solar system and the history of Earth.

ISRO

Also read: Chandrayaan-3 Mission On July 14: Here¡¯s All You Need To Know About India¡¯s Moon Mission

The Chandrayaan-3 took off on July 14, 2023 from Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota at 2.35 pm and marks India's third lunar mission.

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