India’s space mission has achieved another major breakthrough. Scientists studying data from the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) second Moon mission, Chandrayaan-2, have found strong signs of water-ice hidden beneath craters near the Moon’s South Pole, one of the coldest and least explored areas in the solar system.
Chandrayaan-2 Radar Detects Possible Ice Beneath Moon’s South Pole
The discovery was made using the Dual Frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (DFSAR) installed on the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter.
This advanced radar instrument was designed to study the Moon’s surface and the layers beneath it through microwave imaging. It works on both L-band and S-band frequencies and is the first fully polarimetric synthetic aperture radar ever sent to the Moon.
The new research was carried out by scientists from the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad. The study focused on a rare type of crater called “doubly shadowed craters” found inside permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) near the Moon’s South Pole.
These craters never get sunlight and are also protected from heat radiation, making them extremely cold. Temperatures there can drop to about 25 Kelvin, or nearly minus 248 degrees Celsius.
Because of these freezing conditions, scientists believe these areas are ideal for storing water-ice for billions of years.
By using advanced radar analysis, the researchers found signals that suggest there may be ice hidden beneath the surface of four such craters.
The team also created a more accurate radar method to tell the difference between actual ice deposits and rough rocky surfaces, something that has been difficult in earlier Moon studies.
Special Radar Technique Helps Scientists Identify Hidden Lunar Ice
The researchers used a special technique that combines two radar measurements: Circular Polarization Ratio (CPR) and Degree of Polarization (DOP) to study the Moon’s surface.
They found that areas with CPR values above one and DOP values below 0.13 may point to the presence of ice hidden beneath the surface, instead of just rocky ground. This effect is known as “volumetric scattering” and is considered a strong sign of subsurface ice.
Out of all the places studied, a small crater about 1.1 kilometres wide inside the larger Faustini crater showed the strongest signs of buried ice.
The crater also had unusual “lobate-rim” patterns, which look like flow-shaped structures. Scientists believe these may have formed when a space rock crashed into an underground layer rich in ice.
Discovery Could Support Future Human Missions to the Moon
The discovery could play an important role in future Moon missions.
Water on the Moon is seen as a valuable resource for long-term human exploration. It could be used for drinking water, producing oxygen for breathing, and even making rocket fuel through chemical processes. Scientists say finding usable ice on the Moon is important for future missions so astronauts can rely less on supplies brought from Earth.
The Moon’s South Pole has become a key target for space missions around the world because it may contain large amounts of ice.
India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission had already achieved a successful landing near the South Pole in 2023. Now, the latest findings from Chandrayaan-2 have further boosted India’s role in lunar research and the study of water on the Moon.
The discovery also shows how important the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter continues to be, even years after it was launched. Although the mission’s lander crashed during its landing attempt in 2019, the orbiter has kept working successfully and sending back valuable scientific information. Its data is helping scientists learn more about the Moon’s mysterious polar regions and what lies beneath its surface.
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