Layering of lunar regolith at the Chandrayaan-3 landing site observed from the ChaSTE experiments from the lander
- 1Space Physics Laboratory , Vikram Sarabhai Space Center, ISRO, Thiruvananthapuram-695 022 ,
- 2LNM Institute of Information Technology (LNMIIT) , Jaipur, Rajasthan-302 031 ,
Abstract
ChaSTE onboard the Vikram lander of the Chandrayaan-3 mission is designed for in-situ measurements of thermal conductivity (K) and temperature profiles of the lunar regolith with minimal disturbance. The thermal probe with 10 RTD sensors is used to measure continuous daytime lunar regolith temperature profiles to a depth of 10 cm and a 0.1 W heater foil is used to conduct heating experiments at depths of ∼4 cm and ∼8 cm. The estimated slopes from the heating curve are 3.2 K/s and 5.4 K/s at ∼8 cm and ∼4 cm, respectively. The K values determined were distinctly low ∼0.004 W/m/K at ∼4 cm depth compared to those at ∼8 cm depth (∼0.02 W/m/K) indicating layering of the lunar regolith. An exponential increase in the motor current during the probe penetration below ∼6 cm depth further substantiates the impact induced stratification of the regolith.
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BibTeX
@article{renju2026layering,
title = {{Layering of lunar regolith at the Chandrayaan-3 landing site observed from the ChaSTE experiments from the lander}},
author = {R Renju and Harish C Kumawat and C Suresh Raju},
journal = {Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1093/mnras/stag1961},
url = {https://academic.oup.com/mnras/advance-article/doi/10.1093/mnras/stag1961/8943785},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Layering of lunar regolith at the Chandrayaan-3 landing site observed from the ChaSTE experiments from the lander
AU - R Renju
AU - Harish C Kumawat
AU - C Suresh Raju
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/19
JO - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
DO - 10.1093/mnras/stag1961
UR - https://academic.oup.com/mnras/advance-article/doi/10.1093/mnras/stag1961/8943785
AB - ChaSTE onboard the Vikram lander of the Chandrayaan-3 mission is designed for in-situ measurements of thermal conductivity (K) and temperature profiles of the lunar regolith with minimal disturbance. The thermal probe with 10 RTD sensors is used to measure continuous daytime lunar regolith temperature profiles to a depth of 10 cm and a 0.1 W heater foil is used to conduct heating experiments at depths of ∼4 cm and ∼8 cm. The estimated slopes from the heating curve are 3.2 K/s and 5.4 K/s at ∼8 cm and ∼4 cm, respectively. The K values determined were distinctly low ∼0.004 W/m/K at ∼4 cm depth compared to those at ∼8 cm depth (∼0.02 W/m/K) indicating layering of the lunar regolith. An exponential increase in the motor current during the probe penetration below ∼6 cm depth further substantiates the impact induced stratification of the regolith.
SN - 0035-8711
SN - 1365-2966
ER -