NASA's Lunar Orbiter Successfully Pings Chandrayaan-3's Vikram Lander With Laser Instrument

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has successfully pinged India's Chandrayaan-3 mission's Vikram lander by using a laser instrument, according to a statement by the US space agency.

The laser beam was transmitted and reflected between the LRO and an Oreo-sized device on the Vikram lander, positioned approximately 100 kilometers away near the Manzinus crater in the Moon's south pole region. This successful demonstration introduces a novel approach to precisely locating targets on the Moon's surface, NASA stated.

On December 12, 2023, the LRO transmitted laser pulses toward the stationary Vikram lander, and upon registering reflected light from a tiny NASA retroreflector aboard Vikram, scientists confirmed the efficacy of their technique.

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The technique involves sending laser pulses from a moving spacecraft to a stationary one, determining its precise location, an innovation that has many applications at the Moon, according to scientists.

"We've showed that we can locate our retroreflector on the surface from the Moon's orbit," noted Xiaoli Sun, who led the team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The retroreflector, known as the Laser Retroreflector Array, was developed through collaboration between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

"The next step is to improve the technique so that it can become routine for missions that want to use these retroreflectors in the future," Sun said in a NASA statement.

Measuring only 2 inches in width, NASA's Laser Retroreflector Array comprises eight quartz-corner-cube prisms set into a dome-shaped aluminum frame. The simple yet durable device requires no power or maintenance and can endure for decades. Reflecting light from any direction back to its source, retroreflectors have diverse applications in science and exploration and have been in use since the Apollo era.

In response to the achievement, ISRO stated that the Laser Retroreflector Array on Chandrayaan-3's lander now serves as a fiducial point, precisely located markers for reference on the Moon.

NASA's LRO utilized the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) to achieve a laser range measurement by detecting signals reflected by the retroreflector on December 12, 2023, during lunar nighttime. The observation occurred as the LRO ascended to the east of Chandrayaan-3.

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"NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) achieved a laser range measurement using the LRA by successfully detecting signals reflected by it on December 12, 2023. The ranging utilized the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) on the LRO. The observation occurred during lunar night time, with the LRO ascending to the east of Chandrayaan-3," ISRO said.