The chief scientist of China’s first lunar mission has made surprising claims about India’s historic Chandrayaan-3, which was hailed by the Rajya Sabha as a ‘source of national pride.’
Scientist Ouyang Ziyuan has asserted that the Chandrayaan-3 lander did not touch down on the Moon’s southern pole. This statement comes as India endeavors to revive the Vikram lander and Pragyaan rover from hibernation.
According to his claim, the lander didn’t even land near the Moon’s south pole and was far from the polar region of Earth’s natural satellite. It landed 619 kilometers away from the polar region, he added.
His argument is rooted in his perception of the Moon’s south pole, which he believes to be smaller due to the planet’s tilt of only 1.5 degrees. His calculations suggest the south pole lies between 88.5 to 90 degrees, while NASA designates 80 to 90 degrees as the Moon’s south pole.
Previously, India had stated that the lander of the Chandrayaan-3 mission would touch down the Moon at approximately 70 degrees latitude.
India achieved the historic milestone of becoming the first country in the world to land a space probe on the lunar south pole and only the fourth nation, after the US, China, and the erstwhile Soviet Union, to land a rover on the moon’s surface.
Currently, ISRO is making attempts to revive the lander and rover from hibernation. The Indian space agency will make continuous attempts till the next sunset on the Moon on October 6.
