Why Chandrayaan-3 Landed Near the Moon’s South Pole

Editorial illustration of Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander near the Moon’s south-pole terrain.

Chandrayaan-3 landed near the Moon’s south pole because the region offers a rare combination of scientific clues and future exploration value. Its permanently shadowed areas may preserve water ice, while the surrounding terrain can reveal how the Moon’s surface evolved. For India, the mission was also a practical test of landing and operating in one … Read more