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Among the craters examined, scientists found particularly strong evidence of subsurface ice in a 1.1-kilometre-wide crater located within the larger Faustini crater.
The findings are based on observations made by the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter’s Dual Frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (DFSAR).
Scientists from the Ahmedabad-based Physical Research Laboratory identified strong evidence of subsurface ice in some of the coldest craters near the Moon’s south pole using data from Chandrayaan-2, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said. The findings are based on observations made by the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter’s Dual Frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (DFSAR), a sophisticated microwave imaging instrument capable of probing beneath the lunar surface.
Among the craters examined, scientists found particularly strong evidence of subsurface ice in a 1.1-kilometre-wide crater located within the larger Faustini crater near the Moon’s south pole.
Researchers said the crater displayed a distinctive “lobate-rim morphology”- a flow-like structural pattern that may indicate the impact event penetrated an ice-rich subsurface layer. The latest discovery adds to growing scientific evidence suggesting that the Moon’s polar regions may contain substantial reserves of water ice beneath the surface.
Earlier studies based on Chandrayaan-2 data had already identified signatures of water molecules and hydroxyl across sections of the lunar surface. More recent datasets generated by the orbiter have helped create high-resolution polar maps aimed at locating potential ice-bearing regions.
ISRO said the DFSAR instrument onboard Chandrayaan-2 represents a major technological achievement because it is the first fully polarimetric synthetic aperture radar designed to study the Moon in both L-band and S-band frequencies.
Since entering lunar orbit in 2019, the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter has generated thousands of datasets to map the Moon’s polar terrain, subsurface properties and dielectric characteristics.
Scientists believe the findings could play a significant role in shaping future lunar exploration missions, particularly those focused on long-term human presence on the Moon. Water ice is considered one of the most valuable potential resources on the lunar surface because it can potentially be converted into drinking water, breathable oxygen and even rocket fuel for deep-space missions.
Delhi, India, India
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