Chandrayaan-3, the successful lunar mission launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), continues to contribute to lunar exploration. Recent analysis of data transmitted by the Pragyan rover has led to the identification of a 160 km wide ancient crater. This crater is believed to have formed before the South Pole-Aitken Basin (SPA), previously thought to be the oldest and largest impact basin on the Moon. This discovery further underscores the importance of Chandrayaan-3 in advancing our understanding of the geological history of the Moon.
Older crater discovered by Pragyan Rover
The analysis was conducted using data from the Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover, which completed their primary mission on September 3, 2023. After that, they were put to rest. A paper published by scientists at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad, including Dr S Vijayan, titled “Evolution of the Chandrayaan-3 landing site across the South Pole-Aitken Basin and other impact craters”, reveals that the Chandrayaan- 3 site was inside a previously buried crater. It is believed that this crater is much older than the SPA basin itself, which is located about 350 km from the edge of the SPA basin.
A close-up view of the landing site
Using the Pragyan rover’s navigation camera (Navcam) and a high-resolution optical camera, ISRO captured images of the heavily degraded, semi-circular structure surrounding the landing site. This structure is now considered to be one of the oldest features on the surface of the Moon. Scientists suggest that this ancient crater was covered by materials ejected from the SPA basin and 11 other surrounding impact basins.
Future lunar missions could be useful
The findings of this mission provide valuable insight into the history of the Moon and are expected to help in future lunar exploration, such as Chandrayaan-4, which is scheduled for 2027. Prof. Anil Bhardwaj, JC Bose Fellow and Director of PRL, acknowledged the discovery in a post, crediting Dr S Vijayan and his team for their pioneering research.
