The Pragyan rover, which was deployed by the Vikram lander after the moon landing on August 23, 2023, traversed 103 metres on the lunar surface during its first day on the moon. Findings showed that the number and size of rock fragments increased as the Pragyan rover travelled 39 metres to the west of the landing site. Shiv Shakti Point is the name given by the Prime Minister to the landing site of Chandrayaan-3. Narendra ModiThe rover traveled to the Nectarian Planitia region between the Manzinus and Bogusławski craters, an area of particular interest to scientists. These fragments were found scattered on the rim, slopes and floor of small craters less than two metres in diameter.
New findings, presented at the International Conference on Planets, Exoplanets and Habitability earlier this year, show an intriguing trend: As the rover traveled about 123 feet (39 meters) west from its landing site, both the number and size of the rock fragments increased.
Two rock fragments found during Chandrayaan showed signs of deterioration, suggesting they had been subjected to space weathering. This finding supports previous studies suggesting that rock fragments within the lunar regolith are gradually coarsening. This new discovery could inform potential resource utilization strategies on the lunar surface.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission marked a significant milestone for India, as it was the first country in the world to soft-land a spacecraft on the lunar south pole, becoming only the fourth country to do so after the Soviet Union, the United States and China.