The Indian Space Agency (ISRO) is investigating a possible seismic event recorded by the Chandrayaan 3 mission’s lander. in the south polar region of the moon.
The payload of the Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) in the Vikram module records the vibrations that occur due to the movements of the moon. Rover Pragyan and other payloads since its arrival on the moon on Aug. 23.
The main purpose of ILSA is to measure ground vibrations generated by natural earthquakes, impacts and man-made events, details Europe Press.
In addition to the tremors recorded during the rover’s navigation on August 25, 2023, the instrument’s plate released by ISRO also “shows an apparently natural event, collected on August 26, 2023. The origin of this event is currently under investigation.”
Moonquakes or lunomotos are seismic lunar movements generated at depths between 600 and 1,000 kilometers, and their number is about 3,000 per year. There are three different classes of moonquakes classified: bolide impact, natural and artificial.
On the other hand, the payload of the Langmuir probe (RAMBHA-LP) aboard the lander has taken measurements of the plasma environment near the moon’s surface over the south polar region for the first time.
An initial assessment shows that plasma near the lunar surface is relatively scarce. These quantitative measurements could potentially help reduce the noise lunar plasma introduces into radio wave communications. In addition, they could contribute to improved designs for upcoming lunar missions.
India has a cheap aerospace program compared to other powersbut it has grown remarkably since it sent its first spacecraft to the moon in 2008.
The budget for this mission is US$74.6 million, a testament to India’s thrifty aerospace engineering.
Experts say it achieves this low cost by copying and modifying existing aerospace technology and take advantage of the abundance of highly skilled engineers who charge far less than their foreign counterparts. (JO)
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