A Chinese scientist, Ouyang Ziyuan, who works at the National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC), and is also known as the father of China’s lunar exploration programme has casted doubts on the success of India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission, claiming that the lander and rover did not reach the intended landing site near the lunar south pole.
The scientist Ouyang, claimed that the Indian spacecraft landed about 600 kilometers away from the south pole, in a region that has been explored by previous missions.
The scientist made the claim in a post on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, on September 27. The news was also shared by Chinese-language newspaper Science Times.
He said that he used data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), a NASA spacecraft that orbits the Moon, to locate the landing site of Chandrayaan-3. He posted a map showing the coordinates of the landing site, along with images of the lander and rover taken by LRO.
According to Ouyang, the landing site of Chandrayaan-3 is at 69.367621 S, 32.348126 E, which is about 600 kilometers away from the south pole.
He said that this region has been visited by several lunar missions, including China’s Chang’e-4 and Chang’e-5.
The scientist told Chinese-language newspaper Science Times, according to Business Today, that the landing site, at 69 degrees south latitude, is not near the south pole. The south pole is defined at between 88.5 and 90 degrees, he said.
He also said that the lander and rover have not moved much since landing, and questioned their functionality.
Chandrayaan-3 landed on the Moon surface on August 23 after embarking on its journey from Sriharikota on July 14.
ISRO chief S Somnath had said that the Vikram lander, and the Pragyan rover, touched down near the lunar south pole on August 23, 2023, making India the fourth country to successfully land on the Moon, and the first to do so near the lunar south pole.
According to S. Somnath, the South pole, as a landing site was chosen because it has potential deposits of water ice and other resources that could be useful for future lunar exploration.
ISRO has not responded to the Chinese scientist’s claim yet. However, some Indian experts have dismissed it as baseless and motivated by jealousy.
They said that ISRO has verified the landing site using its own data and instruments, and that LRO’s images are not reliable because they have low resolution and are affected by shadows and terrain features.
They also refuted Chinese scientists’ claims saying that Chandrayaan-3’s lander and rover have performed well and have conducted several experiments, including measuring the temperature, seismic activity, and chemical composition of the lunar surface.
Chandrayaan-3 is India’s third lunar mission, following Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 and Chandrayaan-2 in 2019. Chandrayaan-2 failed to land its lander and rover on the Moon due to a communication loss during the final descent.
Chandrayaan-3 was launched as a follow-up mission to demonstrate India’s capability in soft landing and roving on the Moon. The mission was expected to last for one lunar day, which is equivalent to about 14 Earth days.
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