Chandrayaan-3: Pragyan Rover Finds Ancient 160-Km Wide Crater on Moon, Details Inside

New Delhi: India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission has made another significant discovery as the Pragyan rover, exploring the Moon’s south pole, uncovered an ancient 160-kilometer-wide buried crater near its landing site. This discovery, reported by scientists from the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, was recently published in Science Direct.

The crater, located approximately 350 kilometers away from the South Pole-Aitken basin, is one of the oldest geological features on the Moon. Scientists believe that it predates the formation of the South Pole-Aitken basin itself, which is the largest and oldest known impact crater on the Moon. Over billions of years, the ancient crater has been heavily buried under layers of debris from subsequent impacts, particularly from the massive South Pole-Aitken event. As a result, the once prominent structure has degraded, but its remnants still offer a window into the Moon’s early history.

Pragyan's discovery was made using its high-resolution optical and navigation cameras, which captured detailed images of the crater’s structure. These images have provided critical insights into the geological evolution of the Moon, shedding light on how the surface was shaped by a series of catastrophic impacts over time. The landing site, which is rich in debris from past impacts, has proven to be an ideal location for scientific exploration and discovery.

The South Pole-Aitken basin, where the crater was found, is covered by nearly 1,400 meters of impact debris, with additional material from smaller craters and basins adding to the complexity of the landscape. This ancient regolith — the layer of dust, rock, and debris covering the lunar surface — holds key information about the Moon’s formation and its subsequent evolution. By studying the ancient crater, scientists hope to gain a better understanding of the processes that shaped the early Moon, contributing valuable data to future lunar missions and space exploration efforts.