CURRENT AFFAIRS | 20 MAY 2026
Scientists at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad, publishing in the peer-reviewed Astrophysical Journal (May 2026), have decoded fresh data from the Chandrayaan-3 ‘hop’ experiment of 4 September 2023. The Vikram lander — having achieved soft landing at the lunar south pole on 23 August 2023 — briefly fired its engines, rose ~40 cm off the surface, translated 30-40 cm sideways, and re-landed. Twilight readings from the ChaSTE (Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment) probe at the new spot revealed the lunar regolith near Shiv Shakti Point consists of two distinct layers: a loose 1-2 cm crust above a denser, compacted layer extending to 2-6 cm depth.
ISRO, PRL & the Outer Space Legal Order
- PRL is an autonomous research institution under the Department of Space, founded by Dr Vikram Sarabhai in 1947.
- Outer Space Treaty (OST), 1967: Article II prohibits national appropriation of celestial bodies — India’s ‘Shiv Shakti’ designation is a geographical-place name, not a territorial claim.
- India is signatory to the Rescue Agreement (1968), Liability Convention (1972) and Registration Convention (1976), but not the Moon Agreement (1979).
- Domestically, ISRO operates under the Indian Space Policy 2023, with IN-SPACe as the regulator and NSIL as the commercial arm.
CLAT Angle — Space Law & Static GK
Pairings: a comprehension passage on Article II OST and “non-appropriation principle” applied to the Artemis Accords, a Static GK question on Chandrayaan-1 (water-ice), Chandrayaan-2 (orbiter still operational), Chandrayaan-3 (Vikram + Pragyan + hop), and a logic problem on the chronology of lunar missions (1959 Luna-1 → 1969 Apollo-11 → 2008 Chandrayaan-1 → 2023 Chandrayaan-3).
Key Facts — Chandrayaan-3 Hop
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Soft landing | 23 August 2023 (declared ‘National Space Day’) |
| Hop experiment | 4 September 2023 (~40 cm vertical, ~40 cm lateral) |
| Landing site name | Shiv Shakti Point |
| Instrument | ChaSTE (PRL-built thermal probe) |
| Top regolith layer | 1-2 cm (loose) |
| Compact layer | 2-6 cm depth (denser) |
| Publication | Astrophysical Journal, May 2026 |
Mnemonic — “H-O-P”
Hop of 40 cm by Vikram · One loose layer, one compact · PRL/ChaSTE finds two-tier regolith at Shiv Shakti.
Practice Quiz — 10 CLAT-Style Questions
Click an option to reveal the answer and explanation.
