Chandrayaan-3, one of the most important milestones in India's Moon mission, is once again in the spotlight for its discoveries. Since its momentous landing on the moon's South Pole on August 23, 2023, the mission has made several important findings.

These discoveries increased global understanding of the Moon's geology, composition, and environment, contributing to the country's growing prominence in space science.

For the first time, the Pragyan rover aboard Chandrayaan-3 confirmed the existence of sulphur at the Moon's south pole. The rover's powerful spectrometers found elements including aluminium, calcium, iron, chromium, titanium, manganese, silicon, and oxygen at the spot. These discoveries provide new information about lunar surface dynamics and potential water ice reserves, CNBCTV18 reported.

The mission has detected approximately 250 seismic signals near the Moon's South Pole, including at least 50 that are unconnected to the rover's movement or the operation of other equipment, indicating the likelihood of Moonquakes. This is the first time seismic data has been collected from the southern polar region, and the first recorded anywhere on the lunar surface since the Apollo era.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission also recorded subsurface temperatures, finding surface temperatures as high as 82 degrees celsius and plummeting to -168 degrees celsius just 10 cm below. The Vikram lander carried the ChaSTE (Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment) probe, which was meant to measure surface and subsurface temperature.

According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), sloped areas near the south pole can keep temperatures cold enough to support stable subsurface water ice, creating new opportunities for future lunar resource use.

While studying rocks and soils, the rover uncovered ancient impact events and primitive mantle elements exposed by the South Pole-Aitken Basin approximately 4.3 billion years ago. This unique sight into the Moon's deep interior allows scientists to validate theories about its molten beginnings and subsequent evolution.

Other highlights include the discovery of low-density lunar plasma and a 160-kilometer-wide ancient crater that depicts the Moon's turbulent geological history.