Quake On Moon? Chandrayaan-3's Vikram Lander Detects 'Natural' Movement On Lunar Surface

• Image Credit: Google

• Aug 31, 2023 | Dhupali Das

Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander has detected a "natural" seismic event on the Moon...

Digital Desk: Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander has detected a "natural" seismic event on the Moon, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said on Thursday. The space agency stated that one lander payload, the Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA), recorded the movements of the rover and other payloads. "Additionally, on August 26, 2023, it recorded an event that appears to be natural," ISRo said, adding that the source of this event is being investigated.

The ISRO stated that the primary goal of ILSA is to measure ground vibrations caused by natural quakes, impacts, and artificial events. The vibrations recorded during the rover's navigation on August 25 are depicted in the figure, the space agency said, sharing a graph on X, formerly Twitter. "Additionally, an event, seemingly natural, recorded on August 26, 2023, is also shown."

Earlier in the day, the space agency announced that the lander payload RAMBHA-LP had made the first-ever measurement of the near-surface lunar plasma environment over the south polar region. "The initial assessment indicates that the plasma near the lunar surface is relatively sparse."

In another update, the ISRO stated that one rover payload, the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS), is attempting to determine the elemental composition of soil and rocks on the Moon. The space agency stated that the APXS measurements revealed the existence of fascinating minor elements such as sulfur, in addition to the key predicted elements such as aluminum, silicon, calcium, and iron.