NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft photographs Chandrayaan-3 landing site on Moon’s surface

NASA’s LRO – the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter – spacecraft imaged the Chandrayaan-3 landing site on the Moon’s surface.

Chandrayaan-3 lander is in the center of the image, its dark shadow is visible against the bright halo surrounding the vehicle. The image is 1,738 meters wide; frame No. M1447750764LR Photo Courtesy: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Arizona State University

The Indian Space Research Organisation's lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3, touched down on the dark side of the Moon on Aug 23, 2023.

The Chandrayaan-3 landing site is located about 600 kilometers from the Moon’s South Pole, NASA said.

The LROC (LRO Camera) acquired an oblique view (42-degree slew angle) of the lander four days later.

The bright halo around the vehicle resulted from the rocket plume interacting with the fine-grained regolith (soil).

LRO is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for the Science Mission Directorate at the agency’s Headquarters in Washington, DC.

Launched on June 18, 2009, the LRO has collected a vast amount of data with its seven powerful instruments, making an invaluable contribution to our knowledge about the Moon. Arizona State University manages and operates LROC.