NEW DELHI, Aug 31 A lunar seismic activity instrument aboard the Vikram lander has detected possible seismic activity on the Moon, the Indian Space Research Organization said.
“The lunar seismic activity instrument on the Chandrayaan-3 lander is the first instance of an instrument based on MEMS technology on the Moon. It recorded vibrations arising from the movements of the lunar rover and other payloads … In addition, it is shown, it would seem, a natural event recorded on August 26, 2023. The source of this event is currently being established,» the Indian space agency said, publishing a chart of the established seismic activity.
Also, the instruments of the descent module measured the plasma over the south pole of the Earth's natural satellite.
“Initial evaluation indicates that the plasma covering the lunar surface is relatively sparse and has a number density in the range of approximately 5 to 30 million electrons per cubic meter… These quantitative measurements have the potential to help reduce the amount of noise that lunar plasma contributes to radio wave communications. , they could contribute to improving designs for future lunar missions,» the agency said.
The automatic space station «Chandrayan-3» was launched into space on July 14 and entered the lunar orbit on August 5. On August 23, India was the first in the world to successfully land the Vikram spacecraft, which had previously separated from the Chandrayaan-3 station, at the south pole of the moon. The mission of the descent vehicle is designed for 14 Earth days, which corresponds to one lunar day. At the same time, Indian scientists do not exclude the possibility that the Vikram lander and the Pragyan lunar rover will return to life when the sun again illuminates the part of the Moon where they are located.