Science & Technology, GS3, Space, ISRO, Moon South Pole

By IAS Monk / April 4, 2025

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🔍 Mission Highlights

Mission: Chandrayaan-3 — First soft landing on the Moon’s South Pole (23 August 2023)
Instrument: Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE)
Purpose: To capture vertical temperature profile of the Moon’s upper regolith and assess thermal conductivity

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🔧 ChaSTE’s Tech Design

Component	Function & Detail
RTD Pt-1000 Sensors	10 temperature detectors embedded along a vertical probe
Ribbon Heater	Near tip, enables active heat diffusion testing
Probe Material	Composite design to reduce self-heating interference

Deployment: Inserted into lunar regolith by Vikram lander
Depth Achieved: 140 mm
Data Frequency: 1 reading every second for ~14 Earth days

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🌡️ Key Findings

• Surface Temp: Peaked at ~70°C during lunar day
• Subsurface Temp: Dropped to ~–10°C at 80 mm
• Implication: Steep gradient confirms insulating nature of lunar dust and shadowed cold traps

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🚀 Why This Matters

• Confirms unique thermal dynamics of the Moon’s polar regions
• Helps plan future lunar infrastructure like human habitats & storage zones
• Critical to locating preserved volatiles like water ice in polar regolith
• ChaSTE succeeded where ESA’s Philae and NASA’s InSight faced mission failures — showcasing Indian engineering ingenuity

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🧠 Scientific Firsts

• First in-situ vertical temperature profile from lunar south pole
• Contrasts with equatorial thermal models from previous Apollo & Luna missions
• Lays foundation for long-duration stays and resource extraction models

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✨ Closing Whisper
“In the silence of the south pole dust, a metal tongue dipped gently into the Moon’s breath—measuring warmth, secrets, and ancient light.”

🔥 A Thought Spark – by IAS Monk
We touch the Moon not just to conquer it,
but to listen—where the cold is deepest and the silence is kindest.

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