ISRO
- India's moon lander detected an "event" on the lunar surface that could be evidence of a moonquake.
- The last time a moonquake was detected was in the 1970s, during NASA's Apollo missions.
- Quakes suggest that the moon has more geological activity under its surface than meets the eye.
In August, India made history when its uncrewed Vikram lander touched down near the lunar south pole, making it the fourth country to softly land a spacecraft on the moon's surface.
Now, the many instruments on board the lander and its adorable Pragyan moon rover are helping scientists understand the moon's south pole region better than ever before.
Pragyan recently confirmed the presence of sulphur in the region. And Vikram has detected rumblings underfoot that could be evidence of a moonquake, Live Science reported.
On August 26, three days after landing on the moon, the Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) payload on Vikram detected an "event," the Indian Space Research Organization said in a statement.
ILSA is designed to pick up vibrations on the lunar surface generated by natural quakes, impacts, and artificial events.
The "event" was significantly more powerful than the vibrations ILSA had detected from the Pragyan rover's movement nearby, according to ISRO.
"The source of this event is currently under investigation," ISRO said in the statement.
If the event is confirmed to be a moonquake, it would be the first detected on the lunar surface since the 1970s — when NASA's Apollo missions first studied seismic activity on the moon and detected moonquakes.
A moonquake would suggest that the moon isn't just some big, dense space rock — there's actually more going on under its surface than meets the eye.
The solar-powered Vikram lander and its rover have gone to sleep for the duration of the 14-day night on the part of the moon they're located, per ISRO
But pending "a successful awakening" later this month, the devices will resume their historic mission, ISRO wrote on X.