Fact Check: Edited Video Of Earth Going Viral In The Name Of Chandrayaan-3 Mission

New Delhi (Vishvas News): The lander, Vikram, on board the ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft touched down on the lunar surface at 6:04 pm on August 23. Prior to this event, ISRO had unveiled a series of pictures that were captured by the camera before the landing. Amid these photos, there is an 11-second video circulating widely on social media, featuring a view of the Earth. Some users on social media are asserting that this video was recorded from the moon during the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

However, an investigation by Vishvas News has revealed that the video, being circulated under the banner of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, is actually a digitally generated fabrication and not authentic. The images showcasing the far side region of the moon have been exclusively acquired through the Lander Hazard Detection and Avoidance Camera (LHDAC) and subsequently released by ISRO. Furthermore, ISRO had previously disseminated images of the moon that are entirely distinct from the content of the viral video.

Claim:

A user has sent this video to Vishvas News’s WhatsApp tipline number +91 9599299372 and requested to tell its truth. X (formerly Twitter) user Wasim R Khan (archived link) posted the video on August 21 with the caption, “Here’s a beautiful picture sent from the moon by Chandrayaan-3 mission! Facebook user ‘Rajkumar Chowdhary‘ (archived link) also posted the same video on August 22 making the same claim.

Investigation:

To fact-check the viral claim, we initially scrutinised the post by Waseem R Khan, the user responsible for sharing the video. Within the comments section, some users have discredited this video, labelling it as counterfeit and digitally manipulated.

We further conducted searches across ISRO’s social media handles. Four images, shared by ISRO’s official X handle on August 21, 2023 (archive link), were found. In conjunction with these images, a statement was included, elucidating, “These depictions portray the far side region of the moon, sourced from the Lander Hazard Detection and Avoidance Camera (LHDAC). This particular camera facilitates the identification of a secure landing site. It’s important to note that the contents of these images diverge significantly from the viral video.”

On August 18, ISRO also released a video. The accompanying caption revealed that the lunar images were captured by the Lander Image (LI) Camera 1 on August 17, 2023, immediately subsequent to the detachment of the Lander Module from the Propulsion Module. Moreover, on August 18, additional moon photographs were posted by ISRO. These snapshots were taken on August 15 using the Lander Position Detection Camera.

Moving to August 10, ISRO shared images of both Earth and the Moon. The Earth’s portrayal was caught by the Lander Image (LI) Camera on July 14, 2023, coinciding with the launch date of Chandrayaan-3. As for the moon, its depiction was seized on August 6 employing the Lander Horizontal Velocity Camera (LHVC).

It is crucial to highlight that all the aforementioned pictures and videos diverge considerably from the viral video in question. Notably absent were any substantiating posts on ISRO’s X and Facebook accounts to corroborate the viral assertion.

Seeking a more informed perspective, we reached out to video expert Arun Kumar and forwarded the video in question. His analysis states, “This video incorporates a 3D effect. Notably, if ISRO were to release the video, intermittent frame shifts would be evident, a characteristic lacking in the present video. Moreover, considering ISRO’s past practices, such significant releases would typically originate from their official channels. Ergo, it is reasonably deduced that this video is of digital origin and not an authentic recording.”

As conveyed by a news piece on the Dainik Jagran website dated August 21, 2023, the Chandrayaan-3 mission was inaugurated on July 14. The spacecraft is anticipated to make contact with the lunar surface on the evening of August 23. According to ISRO’s projections, the landing operation of the lander module, coupled with the rover, is slated for August 23 at 6:04 p.m.

Lastly, we scrutinised the profile of the individual propagating the fake assertion. An active participant on social media since December 2016, this user has approximately 24,000 followers.