The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said on Friday that an instrument on the Chandrayaan-3 lander has started working as a location marker near the Moon’s south pole. ISRO said in a statement that the Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA) installed on Chandrayaan-3 lander has started functioning. The statement said that the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) of the US space agency NASA successfully detected the reflected signals and achieved laser range measurement on December 12, 2023.
ISRO said, “Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) was used on LRO. The observation occurred during the lunar nightside, with LRO rising to Chandrayaan-3’s east. As part of international collaboration, NASA’s LRA was accommodated on Chandrayaan-3 Vikram Lander. It consists of eight corner-cube retroreflectors on a hemispherical structure. It provides laser access from various directions by orbiting spacecraft with appropriate instruments. The optical instrument, weighing about 20 grams, is designed to last for decades on the lunar surface.
ISRO said that Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander, which landed near the Moon’s south pole on August 23, 2023, has been in contact with Lola since then. The statement said that several LRAs have been deployed on the Moon since the beginning of lunar exploration. The LRA on Chandrayaan-3 is a smaller version. This is the only LRA currently available near the South Pole.
“NASA’s LRA on Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander will continue to serve as a long-term geodetic station and a location marker on the lunar surface, benefiting current and future lunar missions,” ISRO said. The statement mentioned that this measurement will help in accurately determining the orbital position of the spacecraft. Apart from this, information related to the moon’s dynamics, internal structure and gravitational anomalies will be available.