Images sent by Chandrayaan-1, India’s first lunar mission, suggest that the Moon may be rusting along the poles, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Sunday.

Chandrayaan-1 was launched in 2008.

“ISRO’s maiden mission to the Moon has sent images which show that the Moon may be rusting along the poles.

“The sign of this finding is that even though the surface of the Moon is known to have iron-rich rocks, it is not known for the presence of water and oxygen, which are the two elements needed to interact with iron to create rust,” said Singh, who is the Minister of State for the Department of Space.    

Scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) say that this could be because the Earth’s atmosphere is lending a helping hand which, in other words, means that the Earth’s atmosphere could be protecting the Moon as well, the statement said. 

“The Chandrayaan-1 Moon data indicates that the Moon’s poles are home to water, this is what the scientists are trying to decipher,” the statement added.