Indian lunar lander detects ‘movement’ on the Moon as scientists scramble to investigate mysterious ‘red spike’
INDIA’S lunar lander may have detected seismic movement on the Moon’s surface.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission landed on the Moon on Wednesday, August 23.
Now, the mission may have detected the first seismic activity on Earth’s natural satellite since the 1970s.
Seismic activity refers to the frequency and severity of quakes in a given region.
On the Moon, it can caused by a number of natural events, including thermal activity from the Sun.
This new activity was recorded by the Vikram lander’s onboard Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity.
The instrument is the first Micro Electro Mechanical Systems technology on the Moon.
“ILSA’s primary objective is to measure ground vibrations generated by natural quakes, impacts, and artificial events,” the Indian Space Research Organization wrote in a statement.
It was able to record the rumbles by moving around on the Moon’s surface.
The data collected could also indicate another natural event, such as an impact.
The team noted that the event is currently under investigation.
THE CHANDRAYAAN-3
The ISRO successfully landed the Chandrayaan-3 a few weeks ago.
India made history by becoming the first nation to land near the Moon’s South Pole with its lander.
The country also became the fourth to achieve a soft landing on the Moon.
The Moon craft touched down around 373 miles from the lunar South Pole, a little-explored area of the Moon.