Rover found evidence of presence of oxygen, sulphur also present; The search for hydrogen continues
The Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope instrument onboard the Rover unambiguously confirms the presence of oxygen.
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Chandrayaan-3 rover has confirmed oxygen on the lunar surface. Apart from this, the presence of aluminum (Al), sulfur (S), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), chromium (Cr) and titanium (Ti) has also been revealed on the surface of the Moon. The presence of manganese (Mn) and silicon (C) has also been detected on the lunar surface. According to ISRO, a thorough investigation is going on regarding the presence of hydrogen.
In fact, the Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument mounted on the rover made the first ever in-situ assessment on the elemental composition of the lunar surface near the south pole. LIBS is a scientific technique that analyzes the structure of materials by exposing them to intense laser pulses. The LIBS payload has been developed at the Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (LEOS), ISRO, Bengaluru.