The Indian mobile robot “Pragyan” has made its first major discovery at the South Pole of the Moon

The Prajan Rover, the Indian mobile robot that arrived last Wednesday on an unmanned spacecraft to the south pole of the Moon, has carried out its mission. First great discovery. The reconnaissance vehicle confirmed, according to what was reported by the Japanese Space Agency, the presence of sulfur.

“The laser-induced decay spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument aboard the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft made the first in situ measurement of elemental composition on the lunar surface near the south pole,” the research organization said. statement.

The text added, “On-site measurements confirm The presence of sulfur in the areaThis is something that could not be done with instruments on board orbiters.

Spectroscopic analysis also confirmed the presence Aluminium, calcium, iron, chromium and titanium On the moon’s surface, ISRO added. Other measurements of the robot, which descended on Thursday to the surface of the moon via a ramp to start its exploratory missions, showed the presence Manganese, silicon and oxygen.

The Pragyan (“wisdom” in Sanskrit) vehicle weighs about 23 kilograms and has six wheels. It is a robot with a useful life of 14 days to travel on the surface of the Moon, in addition to collecting information and images that it will send back to Earth. It will also help the Indian Space Agency study the composition of the lunar surface using X-rays and lasers.

The Chandrayaan-3 (“moon vehicle” in Sanskrit) mission lifted off from the launch pad in Sriharikota, southern India, on July 14.

India has sought to match the achievements of other space programs at a fraction of the cost, although it has suffered some setbacks.

Four years ago, another Indian mission on the moon failed to make a final landing. The moon – especially the south pole – is of great importance, as it contains many craters that are permanently in the shadows It can contain water ice and precious metalsAccording to the space agency.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission has captured public attention since its launch nearly six weeks ago in front of thousands of spectators, with its successful landing on the moon last week shortly after a Russian spacecraft crashed in the same area.

And in 2014, India became the first Asian country to put a spacecraft into Mars orbit, and hopes to launch a probe toward the sun in September.

ISRO plans to launch a three-day manned mission into Earth orbit next year. It also plans a joint mission with Japan to send another probe to the Moon by 2025 and an orbital mission to Venus in the next two years.

After a failed moon landing attempt in 2019, India on Wednesday joined the United States, the Soviet Union and China as the fourth country to achieve the feat.

The mission began more than a month ago At an estimated cost of $75 million. Somnath said India will next attempt a manned mission to the moon.

A few days ago, the Russian Luna 25 spacecraft, which was targeting the same lunar region, failed in its attempt to reach the Earth’s satellite. This would have been Russia’s first successful moon landing after a 47-year hiatus.

With information from agencies.