The “father” of China’s lunar exploration program has refuted India’s claim that the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft successfully landed at the Moon’s South Pole during what was deemed a historic mission last August.
After Chandrayaan-3 landed on the Moon, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated: “Thanks to the hard work and talent of our scientists, India has reached the South Pole of the Moon, a place no country has ever set foot on.”
Image of the Moon’s surface captured by the Chandrayaan-3 camera. (Photo: ISRO).
However, a leading Chinese scientist has asserted that Chandrayaan-3 did not land at the Moon’s South Pole.
This statement comes as Indian scientists are working to recover the Vikram lander and the Pragyaan rover from their “sleep” mode after enduring a two-week freezing night on the Moon.
Chinese scientist Ouyang Ziyuan made this statement on September 28. He is the chief scientist behind China’s first lunar exploration mission.
Ouyang stated that the Chandrayaan-3 did not land in the South Pole region or any nearby area.
On Earth, the South Pole is defined as the area between 66.5 and 90 degrees South, due to the tilt of the Earth’s axis being approximately 23.5 degrees relative to the Sun.
Ouyang argued that the Moon’s tilt is only 1.5 degrees, making the South Pole region significantly smaller. NASA considers the Moon’s South Pole to be the area between 80 and 90 degrees, while Ouyang believes the Moon’s South Pole ranges from 88.5 to 90 degrees, corresponding to the Moon’s 1.5-degree tilt.
So far, no one has questioned or refuted India’s claim that the Chandrayaan-3 landed at the Moon’s South Pole.
NASA and the European Space Agency praised ISRO scientists for their ability to achieve a soft landing near the far side of the Moon. From the beginning, India clearly stated that the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft would land at around 70 degrees latitude, close to the South Pole.
A scientist from the Space Research Laboratory at the University of Hong Kong dismissed Ouyang’s claims.
Quentin Parker, director of the Space Research Laboratory at the University of Hong Kong, told the South China Morning Post: “The moment a spacecraft lands near the South Pole and is definitely within the defined South Pole region is a significant achievement. I think we should not take anything away from India for that,” he said.
