Chandrayaan-3: ISRO chairman S Somanath said on Sunday that India possesses the “best picture of the Moon,” just days after overseeing the challenging task of landing a spacecraft on the lunar south pole. He shared this information during a media interaction in Thiruvananthapuram.

Somanath highlighted the uniqueness of the images obtained, stating, “We have the closest picture of the real regolith”.

He further said that the pictures of the moon are precious and unique and they are not available anywhere in the world. It is exclusively with India. No country in the world has such close access and close proximity to take such clear pictures of the moon. The scientists are expecting more pictures later as all the pictures will directly come to ISRO’s computer centre. The ISRO scientist gets a huge number of pictures from the Computer centre of the Indian Spacecraft and Exploration Mission Data Centre and then evaluates all the pictures.

Key Points from ISRO Chairman’s Statement:

• ISRO has captured the closest image of the real lunar regolith.
• These images are unique and not available anywhere else globally.
• The images will be processed at the Indian Spacecraft and Exploration Mission Data Centre.
• Scientists will conduct a thorough evaluation of the images.
• The Vikram lander and Pragyan rover are in good condition.
• Chandrayaan-3 lander and rover are healthy, with all five instruments working well.
• Experiments are expected to be completed in the next 10 days before September 3.
• Various testing modes and mineralogical tests are being conducted.
• The rover will explore different sites to conduct its experiments.

Addressing the current status of the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover, Chairman S Somanath offered an update, saying, “We are pleased to report that both the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover are functioning optimally. The Chandrayaan-3 lander and rover are in robust health, with all five onboard instruments operating without any issues. Our target is to conclude all experiments within the next ten days, before the lunar day concludes on September 3. These experiments span across various modes and require diverse tests. The rover’s activities encompass testing at multiple sites to conduct mineralogical analyses, necessitating its movement to various locations.”

ChaSTE Payload 

ISRO recently divulged initial insights from the ChaSTE (Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment) payload installed on the Vikram lander. This payload is designed to gauge the temperature distribution of the lunar topsoil near the pole. It boasts a temperature probe equipped with specialised sensors capable of penetrating up to 10 cm below the surface. The primary objective of these observations is to enhance our understanding of the thermal dynamics of the moon’s surface.

Gaganyaan mission

When it comes to the advancements in the Gaganyaan mission, Somanath emphasised continuity, revealing, “The same team that accomplished the Moon mission is entrusted with the Gaganyaan mission as well. There isn’t a separate team for each mission; it’s one cohesive unit. Their expertise in cutting-edge research and development remains consistent. With the confidence gained from the success of the Moon mission, we are optimistic about achieving even greater strides in the Gaganyaan mission,” he affirmed.