The competition between the two largest Asian countries, India and China, extends even into outer space. Following India's successful landing of the Chandrayaan-3 rover on the moon's surface last month, claiming the record for the southernmost lunar landing, a significant Chinese scientist has disputed the achievement. Ouyang Ziyuan, hailed as the pioneer of China's lunar exploration program, stated that the claims made about India's landing near the lunar south pole were exaggerated.
In an interview with the Chinese-language Science Times newspaper, Ouyang Ziyuan pointed out that the landing site of Chandrayaan-3, at 69 degrees south latitude, did not qualify as being in close proximity to the actual lunar south pole. On Earth, this latitude would be considered within the Antarctic Circle but, on the moon, the circle defining the pole is situated much closer.
Ouyang Ziyuan firmly expressed his disagreement with the notion of Chandrayaan-3's polar landing, emphasizing that “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.” According to him, the Chandrayaan-3 landing site was approximately 619 kilometers (385 miles) away from the polar region.
Although India's space agency didn't immediately respond to these claims, the debate about the technology and capabilities of both countries' space programs has been ongoing. China's Communist Party-affiliated Global Times had previously quoted a senior space expert, Pang Zhihao, asserting that China's technology was far superior to India's. Pang noted that China had been capable of sending orbiters and landers directly into Earth-Moon transfer orbit since 2010, a feat that India had yet to achieve due to the limited capacity of its launch vehicles. The engine employed by China was also deemed more advanced.
While China may argue about the technicalities of India's landing, it cannot be denied that the Chandrayaan-3 rover ventured farther south than any previous spacecraft. In fact, it surpassed Russia's recent unsuccessful attempt to land a spacecraft near the lunar south pole which ended in a crash. China's own lunar mission, Chang'e 4, successfully landed on the far side of the moon in 2019, but at a latitude of 45 degrees south. Even NASA's Surveyor 7 probe, which reached the moon in 1968, landed at a latitude of about 41 degrees south.
The significance of reaching the lunar south pole extends beyond mere bragging rights. Scientists strongly believe that this region may hold valuable ice reserves, which could be crucial for sustaining long-term human presence on the moon. Both the United States and China are actively exploring this area in preparation for their upcoming manned missions. These missions aim to mark the return of humans to the moon, something that hasn't occurred since NASA's Apollo program concluded five decades ago.