Produced by: Tarun Mishra
Scientists from ISRO's Space Applications Centre (SAC) collaborated with researchers from IIT Kanpur, the University of Southern California, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and IIT (ISM) Dhanbad to uncover evidence suggesting substantial water ice deposits in the polar craters of the Moon.
Published in the journal International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, the study indicates that the amount of subsurface ice in lunar polar craters is significantly greater than that on the surface, with estimates ranging from 5 to 8 times larger within the first couple of meters.
The discovery holds profound implications for future lunar missions and the establishment of a long-term human presence on the Moon. Drilling to access this subsurface ice will be essential for supporting future missions and sustaining human activity on the lunar surface.
The study reveals that the extent of water ice in the northern polar region of the Moon is twice that in the southern polar region, offering valuable insights for mission planning and site selection.
Credit: NASA
Researchers confirm that the primary source of subsurface water ice in lunar poles is outgassing during volcanism in the Imbrian period, 3.8 to 3.2 billion years ago. This period was characterized by intense volcanic activity and the formation of impact basins and maria.
The research team leveraged seven instruments onboard Nasa's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), including radar, laser, optical, neutron spectrometer, ultra-violet spectrometer, and thermal radiometer, to study the origin and distribution of water ice on the Moon.
This comprehensive understanding of lunar water ice occurrence supports ISRO's future in-situ volatile exploration plans on the Moon and aids in selecting landing and sampling sites for missions aimed at exploring and characterizing lunar volatiles.
The study builds upon previous research by SAC, ISRO, which hinted at the presence of water ice in polar craters using data from the Chandrayaan-2 Dual-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar instrument.
The discovery of significant water reserves in lunar polar craters marks a significant milestone in lunar exploration and underscores the potential for future scientific discoveries and human exploration endeavours on the Moon.