Chandrayaan-3’s Pragyan Rover Reveals First Elemental Analysis of Lunar Soil Near the Moon’s South Pole
India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission has achieved yet another scientific breakthrough, offering fresh insights into the Moon’s surface. The Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) aboard the Pragyan rover has successfully conducted the first-ever in-situ elemental analysis of lunar soil near the Moon’s southern polar region. This analysis, led by scientists from the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad, in collaboration with ISRO, marks a significant step forward in lunar exploration.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission has captivated global attention since its successful landing on August 23, 2023. The Vikram lander touched down at the “Shiv Shakti” point, located at 69.37 degrees south latitude and 32.35 degrees east longitude. Shortly after, the Pragyan rover began exploring the area, covering around 103 meters over the next ten days. The APXS instrument, carried by Pragyan, was specifically designed to assess the elemental composition of the lunar regolith, offering critical data for understanding the Moon's geological history.
The APXS works by deploying a combination of X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF) and Particle-Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) techniques. By irradiating the lunar soil with alpha particles and low-energy X-rays, the instrument identifies and quantifies various elements present on the Moon's surface. Notable elements detected include silicon (Si), magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), iron (Fe), calcium (Ca), and minor elements such as manganese (Mn), chromium (Cr), titanium (Ti), sodium (Na), potassium (K), sulfur (S), and nickel (Ni).
One of the key findings reported by the APXS instrument is the confirmation of the Lunar Magma Ocean hypothesis, which proposes that the Moon’s initial crust formed through the crystallization and floatation of lighter minerals, primarily anorthite plagioclase. The data collected by APXS showed a higher-than-expected abundance of magnesium-rich minerals in the lunar regolith, suggesting that material from deeper lunar layers—likely ejected during the formation of the South Pole-Aitken Basin—also contributed to the surface composition.
The study, recently published in *Nature*, highlights how this elemental analysis serves as a valuable "ground truth" for future lunar exploration missions. The findings are consistent across 23 measurements taken within a 50-meter radius of the landing site, indicating a uniform composition of the lunar regolith. This consistency enhances our understanding of the Moon’s geology and provides essential reference data for remote sensing missions.
The success of the APXS and the Pragyan rover underscores the technological prowess of India’s space program. By enabling real-time, in-situ measurements, the mission has opened a new chapter in lunar science, offering fresh perspectives on the Moon’s evolution. As ISRO continues to release more data from Chandrayaan-3, the global scientific community eagerly awaits further revelations that could redefine our understanding of Earth's closest celestial neighbor.
