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As projected, on August 23, 2023, at 6.04 p.m IST, the Vikram Lander gently landed on

the Moon’s surface. The landing was so smooth, so perfect that it felt like the Moon itself
was giving a warm hug to the spacecraft! This kind of landing is called a soft landing and

Chandrayaan 3 executed it perfectly. Following this historic moment, India also joined the
elite club of space explorers like the United States, the Soviet Union, and China who had

successfully sent robotic crafts to land on the Moon.

But this landing was different from the others. That’s because Chandrayaan 3 landed on the
Moon’s south polar region., a spot that no one had ever touched before! After the landing,

Chandrayaan 3 waited for the lunar dust to settle, and then the Pragyan rover rolled out of
the lander and started taking a walk on the Moon. It studied the elements available on the
south pole of the Moon, and confirmed the presence of sulphur, oxygen, aluminium, calcium

and more.

The detection of sulphur holds particular significance as it’s a relatively uncommon element on
the Moon. Its occurrence in the lunar south

polar region suggests the potential existence
of water ice, a critical factor for future lunar

missions and potential human settlements.
Their findings underscore the importance
of lunar exploration in advancing our

knowledge of the universe. As the quest for
knowledge continues, the global community

eagerly anticipates further revelations from
the Indian Space Research Organization.

Word Power

incredible: unbelievable lunar: of the Moon explorations: research or study
mysteries: things that are difficult to understand breakthrough: sudden development
perceived: came to understand celestial: related to sky or outer space
launched: started anticipates: expects setback: problem; difficulty
disheartening: discouraging poignant: saddening succumb: give in ; yield to
despair: loss of hope embarked: started venture: a new activity
flawlessly: perfectly historic: famous or important in history

elite: richest and most educated group elements: a simple substance
detection: identifying critical: important underscore: make evident
nerve-racking: stressful ; difficult revelations: disclosure of unknown facts

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