The competitive spirit between India and China has now transcended our planet’s boundaries, reaching into the depths of outer space. India’s recent achievement in successfully landing the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the moon last month, positioning it closer to the lunar south pole than any other previous mission, notably surpassing China’s earlier record in the southernmost lunar landing.
However, a prominent Chinese scientist has raised objections, asserting that Chandrayaan-3’s landing site cannot be considered the lunar south pole or even in close proximity to it.
In an interview with the Chinese-language Science Times newspaper, Ouyang Ziyuan, recognized as the pioneer of China’s lunar exploration program, stated that Chandrayaan-3’s landing location at 69 degrees south latitude is significantly distant from the defined lunar south pole, which is situated between 88.5 and 90 degrees.
To put it into perspective, on Earth, 69 degrees south latitude would fall within the Antarctic Circle, but the lunar counterpart of this circle is much nearer to the lunar pole. Ouyang Ziyuan highlighted that Chandrayaan-3 landed approximately 619 kilometers (385 miles) away from the polar region.
In contrast, Pang Zhihao, a senior space expert based in Beijing, suggested that China boasts superior space technology, particularly in sending orbiters and landers directly into Earth-Moon transfer orbits. This capability has been demonstrated since China’s Chang’e-2 mission in 2010, a feat that India has not yet accomplished due to the limited capabilities of its launch vehicles. Additionally, Zhihao emphasized that China employs more advanced engines for such missions.
Despite these claims and counterclaims, it remains a fact that Chandrayaan-3 ventured farther south on the moon than any previous spacecraft. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is currently awaiting contact with Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander and Pragyan rover. ISRO intends to continue efforts to revive these components until the next lunar sunset, scheduled for October 6.
China’s Chang’e 4 mission, which successfully landed on the far side of the moon in 2019, reached a latitude of 45 degrees south. In comparison, an unmanned NASA probe, Surveyor 7, touched down at approximately 41 degrees south in 1968.
Both the United States and China are eyeing the lunar south pole as a pivotal region for their upcoming plans to send astronauts to the moon for the first time since NASA’s Apollo program concluded half a century ago.
(With inputs from Bloomberg)
