Chandrayaan-3’s Pragyan rover finds evidence of an ancient magma ocean near the Moon’s south pole

Chandrayaan-3, India’s first successful mission to land on the Moon, may have made a significant discovery. According to a new study, it may have found evidence of an ancient magma ocean near the Moon’s South Pole. The discovery was made thanks to the efforts of the Pragyan rover, which landed on the lunar surface in August 2023. During its nine-day mission, Pragyan covered a distance of 103 meters and explored 23 different locations.

The rover used an X-ray alpha-particle spectrometer to analyze the lunar regolith, the outer layer of lunar soil. The results, analyzed by Santosh Vadawale and his team at the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, provide new insights into the moon’s geological history.

Support for the Lunar Magma Ocean Hypothesis

Data collected by Pragyan revealed that the regolith around the landing site had a uniform composition, consisting mainly of anorthositic ferroane rocks, according to a study published in the August 21 issue of Nature Journal. This supports the lunar magma ocean hypothesis, which posits that the moon’s outer crust formed as lighter materials rose to the surface and heavier materials sank inward. The similarity in the chemical composition of the regolith near the south pole to soil samples from the moon’s equatorial and mid-latitudes strengthens this theory.

Geological observations and implications for future missions

In addition to confirming the magma ocean hypothesis, Pragyan’s mission provided valuable geological information. The area around the landing site is relatively smooth, with minimal visible craters or boulders within 50 meters. Outside that zone, the rover encountered larger boulders and features likely ejected from nearby craters. These observations provide crucial “ground truth” data that will inform future remote sensing missions and help plan future lunar landings.

The findings from Chandrayaan-3 are important for future lunar exploration. By deepening our understanding of the lunar surface composition and geological history, these insights will help refine models of lunar formation and guide upcoming missions. Vadawale and his team believe the data from this mission will play a key role in shaping the future of lunar exploration.

Overall, the Chandrayaan-3 mission has provided compelling evidence for the existence of an ancient magma ocean on the Moon, contributing to a better understanding of its formation and surface conditions.