Bengaluru. ISRO has found a landing site near the South Pole of the Moon for Chandrayaan-4 mission. Based on the pictures received from Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, scientists have declared the Mons Mouton area to be the best for landing. Mons Mouton is a mountain about 6,000 meters high located near the South Pole of the Moon. Its peak is largely flat, which is favorable for landing. However, the final decision regarding the landing site will be taken closer to the launch.
According to scientists, this area is also important because it receives sunlight for a long time. Apart from this, there is also a possibility of water ice being present in this area.
Chandrayaan-2 pictures helped
According to media reports, scientists presented this study in the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Images from the Orbiter High Resolution Camera mounted on Chandrayaan-2 orbiter were used to determine the landing site. This camera shows the lunar surface at a resolution of about 32 centimeters per pixel. This makes small craters, stones, slopes and surface textures clearly visible, thereby identifying dangerous areas for landing in advance.
Chandrayaan-4 will return with samples
In this mission of Rs 2104 crore, moon rocks and soil will be brought back to Earth. Two different rockets will be used in the mission. Heavy-lifter NVM-3 and ISRO’s reliable workhorse PSLV will carry different payloads. Stack 1 consists of the ascender module for lunar sample collection and the descender module for lunar sample collection on the surface. Stack 2 consists of a propulsion module for thrust, a transfer module for sample hold, and a re-entry module to bring the samples to Earth. Chandrayaan-4 is considered to be ISRO’s most difficult moon mission so far.
