Chandrayaan-3's touchdown spot was named Shiv Shakti point.
The Indian space agency has obtained the first ever scientific data from the Moon's unexplored South Polar region, marking a major success of its Chandrayaan-3 mission.
The thermal probe of the Vikram lander recorded how temperature varies at surface, near surface and deeper on the lunar surface.
ChaSTE (Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment) measures the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the pole, to understand the thermal behaviour of the moon's surface, said the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
"It has a temperature probe equipped with a controlled penetration mechanism capable of reaching a depth of 10 cm beneath the surface. The probe is fitted with 10 individual temperature sensors," it added.
Moon has no atmosphere and the temperature varies drastically on the lunar surface. ISRO presented the variations in the form of a graph.
"The presented graph illustrates the temperature variations of the lunar surface/near-surface at various depths, as recorded during the probe's penetration. This is the first such profile for the lunar south pole. Detailed observations are underway," said ISRO.
ISRO scientist BHM Darukesha said the temperature recorded was surprisingly higher than what was expected. "We believed the temperature could be somewhere around 20-30 degrees centigrade on the surface but it is 70 degrees," he told PTI, referring to the graph.
Science Minister Jitendra Singh said the Chandrayaan-3 mission is expected to send back information about the Moon's atmosphere, soil and minerals, which may be the first of its kind for the scientific community across the world.
“The low density and high thermal insulation of the regolith (Moon's layer of rocks) enhances its potential as a basic building block for future habitats while the assessment of the wide range of temperature variations are crucial for survivability,” the minister added.
ChaSTE, a key instrument mounted on the Vikram Lander, is equipped with 10 high-precision thermal sensors, which will dig into the moon's top soil to study temperature variations. It is the first-ever experiment to study the thermophysical properties of the first 10 cm of the lunar surface.
The Moon's surface undergoes substantial temperature variations during the lunar day and night. The minimum temperatures dip below 100 degrees Celsius around lunar midnight while the maximum go beyond 100 degrees around noon.
The porous lunar topsoil, about 5-20 metres thick, is expected to be an excellent insulator, due to which and the absence of air, very significant temperature difference is expected between the top surface and interior of the regolith.
Vikram lander touched down on August 23, making India the only country to land in the lunar South Polar region. The touchdown spot was later named Shiv Shakti point.
Chandrayaan-3 has accomplished two of its three objectives - soft landing and rover roving on the lunar surface - and the third - in-situ scientific experiments - is underway, ISRO said Saturday.