India lands on moon’s south pole to search for water

(NewsNation) — India made history as the first country to land near the south pole of the moon’s surface with its Chandrayaan-3 lander on Wednesday.

It’s potentially considered the moon’s most valuable resource: frozen water at the south pole.

The goal is to mine it, drink it, use it to cool down equipment and help with missions to Mars. India, Russia, China and the U.S. are all in a heated competition to be the first to get their hands on this cold water.

Over the next two weeks, a solar-powered rover will roam the moon’s rocks and boulders, exploring the surface of the South Pole.

Scientists believe there could be frozen water there that could help support human colonies one day.

“Now this water can be used in future missions for drinking, for cooling equipment, and potentially, someday for rocket fuel for traveling further into the solar system,” said Alexandra Doten, a space communications specialist.

India’s mission to the moon came just days after Russia launched a spacecraft of its own-the first in nearly 50 years. However, that ended in failure, after the lander spun out of orbit and crashed into the lunar surface — tricky terrain, marked by deep, shadowy craters and towering mountains.

Despite the setback, Russia’s space agency is vowing to stay in the lunar race, and in the U.S., NASA is racing to be the first to land astronauts on the moon’s south pole. But it’s facing stiff competition from China, which plans to send a manned crew to the same region by 2030.

Speaking to reporters earlier this month, NASA chief Bill Nelson expressed concern about China’s lunar ambitions.

“I don’t want China to get to the South Pole first with humans and then say this is ours, stay out,” Nelson said.

Technically, no one can own the moon, due to a United Nations treaty from 1967.

The U.S.’s “Artemis 2” is set to circle around the moon in 2024. The next U.S. mission to land on the moon’s south pole is for 2025.