Chandrayaan-3 data suggests ice may be present in more lunar regions

New Delhi: A study based on India's Chandrayaan-3 mission's data suggests that ice may be present at more locations just beneath the Moon's polar surface than previously believed. According to lead researcher Durga Prasad Karanam from the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, significant but highly localized temperature variations on the surface can influence ice formation. Examining these ice particles could provide valuable insights into their origins and history.

Additionally, the study sheds light on how ice has accumulated and shifted across the lunar surface over time, offering a deeper understanding of the Moon’s early geological processes. The research has been published in the journal Communications Earth and Environment.

India's Chandrayaan-3 mission, developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and launched from Bengaluru, successfully achieved a soft landing near the Moon’s south pole on August 23, 2023. Three days later, on August 26, the landing site was officially named ‘Shiv Shakti Point.’

In this study, researchers examined temperature data recorded both at the lunar surface and up to a depth of 10 centimeters beneath it. These measurements were obtained using the 'ChaSTE' probe onboard Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander.

The lander successfully touched down near the Moon's south pole, approximately at 69 degrees south latitude.

At the landing site, which featured a Sun-facing slope inclined at six degrees, scientists observed extreme temperature variations. Daytime temperatures reached a peak of around 82 degrees Celsius, while nighttime temperatures dropped drastically to -170 degrees Celsius.

Additionally, the research team created a model to analyze how the angle of a slope influences surface temperatures in high-latitude regions of the Moon, such as the Chandrayaan-3 landing site.

The model suggested that slopes oriented away from the Sun and facing the Moon’s nearest pole could maintain temperatures low enough for ice to accumulate near the surface if they have an inclination greater than 14 degrees. Interestingly, the slope conditions predicted by the model closely resembled those of the proposed landing sites for NASA’s Artemis mission, which aims to send astronauts to the Moon’s south pole.