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Updated August 17th, 2021 at 08:53 IST

Chandrayaan-2 discovery: ISRO's orbiter confirms earlier finding of water on Moon surface

Chandryaan 2, ISRO orbiter has validated the findings of India’s Chandrayaan-1 mission regarding the presence of water molecules on the Moon's Lunar surface.

Reported by: Bhavyata Kagrana
Chandrayaan 2
Image: PTI | Image:self
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In a significant discovery, the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Chandrayaan-2 validated the presence of water on the moon’s surface. According to scientific experts, this will open gates of immense opportunities for future lunar exploration. In an interview with Zee Media, Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai, Former Director of ISRO’s UR Rao Satellite said that 'the data from the old M3 sensor and the new Chandrayaan 2 sensor have matched. The orbiter of Chandrayaan 2 has a 5 micron (wider spectrometer), hence it unambiguously confirms the findings of Chandrayaan-1'. Similar confirmations were made earlier by the Imaging infrared spectrometer (IIRS) instrument regarding the presence of hydroxyl as well as water molecules on the lunar surface. 

Meanwhile, the NASA-provided Moon Mineralogy Mapper(M3) experiment carried on Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft had also detected evidence for water at lunar poles, however, a hundred percent confirmation was still required. The basic function of a Spectrometer is to take in light(reflected from a surface) and provide a graph of the output. However, in the case of the M3, its wavelength of 0.7 to 3 microns was not sufficient to ascertain and affirm the detection of water on the moon. 

Chandrayaan-2 mission

Chandrayaan-2 predecessor, Chandrayaan-1, was launched in 2008 that discovered the presence of water molecules on the parched lunar surface.  While the Chandrayaan-2 mission was designed to expand the lunar scientific knowledge through a detailed study of topography, seismography, mineral identification and distribution, surface chemical composition, thermo-physical characteristics of topsoil, and composition of the tenuous lunar atmosphere, leading to a new understanding of the origin and evolution of the Moon.

The $150 million dollars highly complex mission consisted of an orbiter, lander, and rover to explore the unexplored South Pole of the Moon. 

Chandrayaan-2 mission- How it started?

Chandrayaan-2 was launched on July 22, 2019, and on September 6, the lander that carried a 27kg rover with instruments to analyze the lunar soil, crashed when it deviated from its intended trajectory due to a software glitch. According to ISRO scientists, the mission is not a complete failure because the orbiter has navigated as anticipated and the lander passed through all three phases except the last phase. 

Dr Madhavan Nair, former chairman of ISRO had said. "Only a small portion of the mission had failed, and although the lander had not made a soft landing, it had lost contact very close to the surface of the moon".

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Published August 17th, 2021 at 08:53 IST

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