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ISRO Releases Chandrayaan-2 Polar Radar Mosaics to Open Lunar Ice, Terrain Insights

The new Level-3C products give researchers analysis-ready polar maps to guide future exploration focused on potential water-ice deposits.

Overview

  • ISRO made the Level-3C polar mosaic radar products from the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter publicly available via the ISSDC PRADAN portal with visualization through the CH2 MapBrowse platform.
  • The dataset synthesizes about 1,400 full-polarimetric L-band observations into 25‑metre‑per‑pixel mosaics covering 80°–90° latitude in both polar regions.
  • Chandrayaan-2’s DFSAR is the first instrument to map the Moon in L-band full-polarimetric mode at this resolution, enabling surface and subsurface diagnostics.
  • Scientists at ISRO’s Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad developed indigenous algorithms to produce advanced products characterizing physical and dielectric properties of the regolith.
  • Released layers include CPR, SERD, T-Ratio and polarimetric decomposition components that indicate potential subsurface ice, quantify surface roughness and constrain dielectric constants to support landing-site selection and resource planning.