In Its Lunar Mission Which Involves Landing On Moon, ISRO To Find A Trillion-Dollar Nuclear Fuel

In its second lunar mission, which is set to lift-off in October this year, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will look for a trillion dollar nuclear fuel which can meet the energy needs of the world for 250 years, Mint reports.

The Rs 800-crore Chandrayaan-2 mission will carry a six-wheeled rover which will move around the landing site in semi-autonomous mode.

The rover, which will land on the South side of the Moon, will scan the lunar surface for traces of helium-3, an isotope integral to developing fusion energy on Earth.

“It is thought that this isotope could provide safer nuclear energy in a fusion reactor, since it is not radioactive and would not produce dangerous waste products,’’ the European Space Agency has said.

Solar winds gave brought large quantities of helium-3 to the moon’s surface as it is not protected by a magnetic field like Earth is.

The rover will start sending data back to the Earth via the orbiter 15 minutes after landing. Only the United States, Russia and China have been able to soft-land spacecraft on the Moon till date.

The presence of helium-3 on the moon was confirmed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Apollo mission.

The launch of the mission, which was originally scheduled for April, was postponed after experts suggested some more tests in March.

India’s first mission to the Moon, Chandrayaan-1, was launched in 2008.