Human Settlement On The Moon? Aim For Its Equator, Says ISRO Chief

When Chandrayaan-3's lander Vikram touches down on the Moon a little over a month from now and deploys the rover Pragyan (wisdom), India will not only unlock a fount of knowledge but also get insights into possible human habitation on the celestial body.

In an exclusive interview with NDTV Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S Somanath said that while the issue needs more study, a location close to the equator would be more suited for human beings to settle than the poles.

Asked whether ISRO is targeting a landing near the south pole of the Moon because the possibility of having a human habitat in the future is higher there, Mr Somanath said, “I don't know that aspect very well - which is the best place for human beings to go. You are talking from the point of view of the availability of water and that is possibly one aspect. Today, one of the important requirements is temperature excursions (deviations) as well as availability of solar power for power generation. From that point, an equatorial location could be more ideal for human beings to settle, if at all a human habitat has to be built.”

Emphasising on the importance of the availability of power in such a location, Mr Somanath said, “Power would be reasonably continuous and available, which is the key element to survival. Of course, water creation becomes an issue and its extraction, whether from subterranean sources or brought from the pole, has to be discussed. So I can't fully go into that. I need to study.

Chandrayaan-3 is scheduled to launch on Friday at 2.35 pm from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The lander is expected to soft-land on the lunar surface on August 23 or 24.