India shares first observations from ChasSTE payload

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on August 27 shared the first observations from the ChaSTE payload that is onboard Vikram Lander.

ChaSTE (Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment) measures the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the pole, to understand the thermal behaviour of the moon's surface, The Economic Times writes.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
Here are the first observations from the ChaSTE payload onboard Vikram Lander.

ChaSTE (Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment) measures the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the pole, to understand the thermal behaviour of the moon's… pic.twitter.com/VZ1cjWHTnd

— ISRO (@isro) August 27, 2023

The space agency shared a graph illustrating the temperature variations of the lunar surface/near-surface at various depths, as recorded during the probe's penetration.
ChaSTE has a temperature probe equipped with a controlled penetration mechanism capable of reaching a depth of 10 cm beneath the surface. The probe is fitted with 10 individual temperature sensors.

Earlier, ISRO chief S Somnath on August 26 had said that most of the scientific mission objectives of Chandrayaan-3 are going to be met now and the team at ISRO is looking excitedly for the next 13-14 days.

He said all the scientific data is looking very good.

"We will continue to measure a lot of data from the Moon in the coming 14 days. And we hope that we will make a really good breakthrough in science while doing so," said the ISRO chief.

India on August 23 scripted history by becoming the first nation to land a spacecraft, Chandrayaan-3, near the south pole of the moon.

The success of India’s third lunar mission made it only the fourth country to achieve the milestone after the US, USSR and China.