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With its second lunar mission expected to launch in October this year, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to explore the south side of the moon for the discovery of a waste-free resource. Named ‘Chandrayaan-2’, after its unforgettable predecessor, the mission will include a lander, an orbiter, and a six-wheeled rover which will land on the moon to analyse crust samples for deposits of water and helium-03, an isotope that could create nuclear fusion without creating any consequent radioactive waste. It will spend two weeks collecting this information and sending it back to ISRO. The mission, costing Rs. 800 crore, will be cheaper than the budget of Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar.
“The Chandrayaan-2 weighing around 3290 kg and would orbit around the moon and perform the objectives of remote sensing the moon. The payloads will collect scientific information on lunar topography, mineralogy, elemental abundance, lunar exosphere and signatures of hydroxyl and water-ice.”, said ISRO in its official statement on the website.
The process of nuclear fusion involves breaking down hydrogen atoms so as to produce helium and release fusion energy which can then be captured to act as an unlimited source of energy for the planet for the next 250 years. While the isotope is available on Earth, it is being used for other purposes like detecting illicit radioactive materials. A rare and sought-after resource, Helium-03 could be worth at least a trillion dollars. It is estimated that the moon might contain Helium-03 deposits worth 1 million metric tons.
One of the main reasons why Helium-03 is available in such vast quantities on the moon is because it has no magnetic field to protect itself from the solar flares of the sun. Currently, India is on the forefront of this Lunar-quest to find Helium-03 isotopes (China being the only other contender at this point as it already has a rover on the moon). And if the possibility of mining does arise, we might just be one of the first countries to get the opportunity to do so. In fact, we might soon have a native Indian space station dedicated solely to programmes related to moon exploration.
You can read the full report here.
Feature Image Courtesy: DnaIndia.com
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