ISRO Releases Advanced Chandrayaan-2 Radar Data to Boost Global Research on Moon’s Polar Regions

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced the free release of advanced radar data products to help scientists around the world study the Moon’s polar regions in greater detail.

According to the space agency, the newly released datasets will enable researchers to gain a deeper understanding of the physical and chemical characteristics of the lunar poles, which are believed to have preserved the early chemical conditions of the solar system. These conditions could offer vital clues to the formation and evolution of planetary bodies.

The advanced data products have been developed using observations from the Dual Frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (DFSAR) onboard the Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter, which has been circling the Moon since 2019. The DFSAR instrument is the first to map the lunar surface using L-band radar in full-polarimetric mode with a resolution of 25 metres per pixel.

Over the past several years, ISRO scientists have processed about 1,400 radar datasets to create polarimetric mosaics of the Moon’s north and south polar regions (80°–90° latitude). These mosaics provide insights into surface roughness, possible presence of water ice, and the dielectric properties of lunar materials.

The key radar parameters available include:

Circular Polarization Ratio (CPR): Indicator of possible water ice.

Single Bounce Eigenvalue Relative Difference (SERD): Measure of surface roughness.

T-Ratio: Related to the dielectric constant, revealing density and porosity.

Polarimetric Decomposition Components: Show different types of radar scattering.

ISRO said these “ready-to-use” data products would provide comprehensive information to characterise the Moon’s polar regions and complement existing hyperspectral datasets used for mineral analysis.

The Polar Mosaic (Level 3C) datasets are now freely available for download on the Indian Space Science Data Centre (ISSDC) PRADAN portal (https://pradan.issdc.gov.in/ch2/protected/browse.xhtml?id=sar) and can also be viewed on CH2 MapBrowse (https://chmapbrowse.issdc.gov.in/MapBrowse/).

The Chandrayaan-2 mission, launched on July 22, 2019, was one of ISRO’s most complex undertakings, comprising an orbiter, a lander named Vikram, and a rover called Pragyan. While the lander failed to make a soft landing due to a software issue, the orbiter continues to function successfully.

Building on that mission, Chandrayaan-3 achieved a historic soft landing near the Moon’s south pole in 2023, making India the first country to do so.

With the release of this new dataset, ISRO aims to boost lunar science and support future exploration efforts by providing global researchers with high-quality, freely accessible radar data of the Moon’s most mysterious regions.RO Releases Advanced Lunar Data for Free to Aid Study of Moon’s Polar Regions

Chennnai, Nov 8 (UNI) The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced the free release of advanced radar data products to help scientists around the world study the Moon’s polar regions in greater detail.

According to the space agency, the newly released datasets will enable researchers to gain a deeper understanding of the physical and chemical characteristics of the lunar poles, which are believed to have preserved the early chemical conditions of the solar system. These conditions could offer vital clues to the formation and evolution of planetary bodies.

The advanced data products have been developed using observations from the Dual Frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (DFSAR) onboard the Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter, which has been circling the Moon since 2019. The DFSAR instrument is the first to map the lunar surface using L-band radar in full-polarimetric mode with a resolution of 25 metres per pixel.

Over the past several years, ISRO scientists have processed about 1,400 radar datasets to create polarimetric mosaics of the Moon’s north and south polar regions (80°–90° latitude). These mosaics provide insights into surface roughness, possible presence of water ice, and the dielectric properties of lunar materials.

The key radar parameters available include:

Circular Polarization Ratio (CPR): Indicator of possible water ice.

Single Bounce Eigenvalue Relative Difference (SERD): Measure of surface roughness.

T-Ratio: Related to the dielectric constant, revealing density and porosity.

Polarimetric Decomposition Components: Show different types of radar scattering.

ISRO said these “ready-to-use” data products would provide comprehensive information to characterise the Moon’s polar regions and complement existing hyperspectral datasets used for mineral analysis.

The Polar Mosaic (Level 3C) datasets are now freely available for download on the Indian Space Science Data Centre (ISSDC) PRADAN portal (https://pradan.issdc.gov.in/ch2/protected/browse.xhtml?id=sar) and can also be viewed on CH2 MapBrowse (https://chmapbrowse.issdc.gov.in/MapBrowse/).

The Chandrayaan-2 mission, launched on July 22, 2019, was one of ISRO’s most complex undertakings, comprising an orbiter, a lander named Vikram, and a rover called Pragyan. While the lander failed to make a soft landing due to a software issue, the orbiter continues to function successfully.

Building on that mission, Chandrayaan-3 achieved a historic soft landing near the Moon’s south pole in 2023, making India the first country to do so.

With the release of this new dataset, ISRO aims to boost lunar science and support future exploration efforts by providing global researchers with high-quality, freely accessible radar data of the Moon’s most mysterious regions.