Chandrayaan-2 mission’s initial data released: ISRO

Context

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has released the first set of data from the country’s second mission to the Moon, the Chandrayaan-2, for the general public.

What is Chandrayaan-2 Mission?

• Chandrayaan-2 mission is a highly complex mission, which represents a significant technological leap compared to the previous missions of ISRO.
• It was launched in 2019 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
• The Chandrayaan-2 mission was India’s first attempt to land on the lunar surface.
• It comprised an Orbiter, Lander and Rover to explore the unexplored South Pole of the Moon.
• Its orbiter, which is still in the lunar orbit, has a mission life of seven years.
• The mission is designed to expand the lunar scientific knowledge through detailed study of topography, seismography, mineral identification and distribution, surface chemical composition, thermo-physical characteristics of top soil and composition of the tenuous lunar atmosphere, leading to a new understanding of the origin and evolution of the Moon.

What is in the released data and how is it significant?

• The Orbiter carries eight experiments to address many open questions on lunar science.
• The Indian Space Science Data Centre (ISSDC) is the nodal centre of planetary data archive for the planetary missions of ISRO.
• The Chandrayaan-2 data is required to be in the Planetary Data System-4 (PDS4) standard.
• It is required to be peer reviewed scientifically and technically before acceptance as PDS archives and declared ready for sharing with the global scientific community and the general public.
• It will help in enriching our understanding of the moon’s evolution and mapping of the minerals and water molecules in Polar region.