(MENAFN) Ouyang Ziyuan, a Chinese scientist has claimed that the Indian lunar orbit Chandrayaan-3 did not touch down in or close to the Moon's south pole. As China intends to travel to the same area in 2024, the scientific competition between China and India has intensified.
On August 23, Chandrayaan-3 landed on the Moon at a latitude of 69 degrees, which Indian experts claim is close to the lunar south pole.
“This is wrong,” Ouyang informed a Chinese science newspaper last week, based on a US news agency. “The landing site of Chandrayaan-3 is not at the lunar south pole, not in the lunar south pole region, nor is it near the lunar south pole region.”
On Earth, a latitude of 69 degrees would fall comfortably within the Antarctic circle, but due to the Moon's lower axial tilt, its southern pole area ranges from 88.5 and 90 degrees, according to Ouyang. Chandrayaan-3 should have touched down 619 kilometers (385 miles) away from this area according to Ouyang's description.
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