A groundbreaking study published in Nature on February 4, 2025, titled "India’s Moon Landing Site Dates to the Dawn of Life on Earth," has unveiled the astonishing geological significance of Chandrayaan-3’s landing area.

India’s Historic Moon Mission

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) continues to push the frontiers of space exploration with Chandrayaan-3, the successor to Chandrayaan-2. This mission was designed to demonstrate precision lunar landing and enable rover operations on the Moon’s surface.

On August 23, 2023, India made history by achieving a soft landing near the Moon’s south pole, with the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover. This achievement placed India among an elite group of nations—the United States, Russia, and China—that have successfully landed on the lunar surface.

Ancient Origins of the Landing Site

The recent study has revealed that the region where Chandrayaan-3 landed is approximately 3.7 billion years old—dating back to the same period when early microscopic life was beginning to emerge on Earth.

Conducted by scientists at the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, the research provides the first detailed geological map of the landing area. Findings suggest that debris from the nearby Schomberger crater has shaped the landscape, offering fresh insights into the Moon’s ancient history. Since the Moon lacks an atmosphere, it is constantly bombarded by meteorites, which create new craters and scatter debris over vast distances.

Key Geological Findings

Through extensive analysis, scientists have identified the Schomberger crater as the primary source of the material covering Chandrayaan-3’s landing site. The region is strewn with boulders over five meters in size, originating from a relatively new 540-meter-wide crater located 14 kilometers south of the landing zone. Additionally, a 10-meter-wide crater nearby has been linked to smaller rock fragments, some measuring just a few centimeters.

Using this data, researchers have developed a comprehensive geological map of the area. This information could prove invaluable for future lunar missions and enhance our understanding of the Moon’s evolution over billions of years.