ISRO shares new images of Chandrayaan 3 featuring Pragyan rover and Vikram lander

The Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) has commemorated the first anniversary of Chandrayaan-3's successful lunar landing by releasing a fresh set of images captured by the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover. These images offer a fascinating glimpse into the mission's journey, showcasing key moments and highlighting the challenges encountered in exploring the Moon's South Pole.

One captivating image reveals Pragyan's attempt to imprint India's national emblem on the lunar surface. While the mission achieved an overall success, the unexpected texture of the lunar soil in the landing area resulted in only a partial imprint. "Despite the mission's overall success, the texture of the lunar soil in this area was not as expected, leading to only partial success in this endeavour," explained ISRO.

This experience highlights the unpredictable nature of space exploration and the complexities of operating in uncharted territory.

Beyond capturing memorable visuals, the Chandrayaan-3 mission has yielded valuable scientific data. Measurements taken by Pragyan during its 100-meter traverse on the lunar surface have provided new evidence supporting the "magma ocean" theory, which suggests that the Moon was once covered by a vast sea of molten rock. "Recent analysis published in the journal Nature suggests that the Moon may have been covered by a vast ocean of magma at one point," reported a scientific publication based on the mission's findings.

As India prepares to observe its first National Space Day on August 23rd, these new insights from Chandrayaan-3 serve as a testament to the nation's growing prowess in space exploration. The mission's continued contribution to lunar science underscores ISRO's commitment to advancing our understanding of the Moon and its history.

"As India prepares to observe its first National Space Day, these new developments from the Chandrayaan-3 mission underscore the country's advancing capabilities in space exploration," ISRO remarked, highlighting the significance of the mission's anniversary.