The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Tuesday that its moon rover ‘Pragyan’ has successfully detected elements like oxygen, aluminium, and sulphur near the moon’s southern pole.

ISRO is also in the process of confirming the presence of hydrogen in the same region.

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This significant achievement was made possible using the Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) tool aboard the Chandrayaan-3 rover. The LIBS technique involves using laser pulses to create plasma on a material’s surface, which emits light that is then analyzed to identify different elements.

Initial findings by ISRO have identified elements such as aluminium, sulphur, calcium, iron, chromium, and titanium on the lunar surface near the southern pole. Further research also revealed the presence of manganese, silicon, and oxygen.

These findings mark a significant advancement in our understanding of the moon’s composition, particularly in terms of sulphur detection.