India's Moon rover finds sulphur and navigates craters on the lunar surface

 

Chandrayaan-3

India's Moon rover finds sulphur and navigates craters on the lunar surface

Pragyaan, India's Moon rover, has confirmed the presence of sulphur and other elements near the lunar south pole.

The rover’s laser-induced spectroscope instrument detected aluminium, iron, calcium, chromium, titanium, manganese, oxygen and silicon on the lunar surface, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.

The Chandrayan-3 Rover is expected to conduct experiments over 14 days, as it searches for signs of frozen water that could help future astronaut missions, as a potential source of drinking water or to make rocket fuel.

The rover also will study the moon’s atmosphere and seismic activity.

As the rover roams around the mission's landing point, named the Shiv Shakti point, it has covered a quite a distance. Pragyaan travels at a speed of 1cm per second, and now has covered a distance of eight meters.

On Sunday, the rover’s route was reprogrammed when it came close to a four-metre-wide (13-feet) crater.

“It’s now safely heading on a new path,” the ISRO said.