India’s moon rover has confirmed the presence of sulphur and detected several other elements on the southern pole of the Moon, according to a statement from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
“The Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument onboard Chandrayaan-3 Rover has made the first-ever in-situ measurements on the elemental composition of the lunar surface near the south pole,” ISRO said in a statement recently.
“These in-situ measurements confirm the presence of sulphur in the region unambiguously, something that was not feasible by the instruments onboard the orbiters,” it said.
Sulphur is an extremely crucial element for human survival. It is very rare on the Moon, which makes this finding groundbreaking, as it could also mean that there is a possibility of finding water ice.
Spectrographic analysis by ISRO also confirmed that lunar surface’s composition includes aluminum, calcium, iron, chromium, and titanium. Additionally, further measurements revealed the existence of manganese, silicon, and oxygen.
ISRO also revealed that thorough investigation with respect to the presence of Hydrogen is currently underway.
India achieved a significant milestone last week by becoming the first country to successfully land a spacecraft in the relatively unexplored southern polar region of the Moon. This achievement solidified India’s position as the fourth nation to accomplish a lunar landing.