First set of data from Chandrayaan-2 released: ISRO

Source: The Hindu

News: Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) has released the first set of data from Chandrayaan-2 Mission for the general public.

Facts:

• Nodal Centre for Planetary Data: The Indian Space Science Data Centre(ISSDC) is the nodal centre of planetary data archive for the planetary missions of the ISRO.
• Chandrayaan-2 data: The Chandrayaan-2 data are required to be in the Planetary Data System-4(PDS4) standard and 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.
  • This activity has been completed and hence the first set of data from the Chandrayaan-2 mission is now being released for the wider public use through the PRADAN portal hosted by the ISSDC.
• What does the data provide? The Orbiter, which carried eight experiments/payloads, all of which have been performing well and sending data received.

Additional Facts:

• Chandrayaan-2: It is the second lunar exploration mission developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) after Chandrayaan-1.
• Main Objective: To map and study the variations in lunar surface composition, as well as the location and abundance of lunar water.
• Launch Vehicle: The mission was launched onboard India’s most powerful launcher – GSLV MK-III M1.
• Modules: The Chandrayaan-2 mission consisted of three main modules:
  • Orbiter carried eight scientific payloads for mapping the lunar surface and studying the exosphere (outer atmosphere) of the Moon.
  • Vikram lander carried three scientific payloads to conduct surface and subsurface science experiments.
  • A Lunar Rover named Pragyan carried two payloads to enhance our understanding of the lunar surface.
• Note: The lander and rover were destroyed during the attempted landing in September, 2019.