The coveted south pole of the moon

On the last day of the 23rd month, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) lunar module Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed on the Moon, becoming the fourth country to successfully land on the satellite.

The landing site wasn’t just a fluke. The spacecraft became the first vehicle to land on the south pole of the Moon, which is the object of desire of the nations in the new space race.. But why was it so envied? Understand why the Moon’s south pole is the subject of controversy.

South pole

For centuries, people looked to the sky and longed to reach the moon and the ends of the universe. The first landing on our satellite in 1969 represented the fulfillment of a human dream and a leap forward in technology development.

Only four countries have managed to land successfully since this feat: the United States, China, the former Soviet Union, and India. Many of these missions were unsuccessful, but the successful ones brought us pleasant surprises, such as the Chang’e-5 from China.

In 2020, the rover collected samples from the south pole and sent tiny glass beads back to Earth. There was water in them! Previous samples already pointed to traces of the frozen element, but never such clear evidence.

The south pole of the moon is a shadowy region full of deep craters. Landing there isn’t easy, but the elements available in this area offer several advantages in terms of establishing future bases for launch missions, including manned ones.

Imagine that you are climbing a very high mountain. It would be too heavy to carry enough water to reach the top. But you know that there is a clean and reliable water source in the middle of the road.

This is the scientists’ plan. Make the Moon a strategic refueling point to launch other missions, including Marsusing moon water to optimize weight, costs and even develop hydrogen-based fuels.

The new space race?

We can say yes and this time race is by location. Although the UN Space Treaty prohibits any country from claiming the satellite for itself, there is no provision prohibiting trading in lunar inputs.

Whoever gets the best area at the south pole will have more advantage. Nevertheless, countries cooperated with each other to make the Moon visit again by human feet in the near future.

Did you like the content? Well find out why, only 36% of lunar missions have been successful to date.