Chandrayaan-2 Strikes Cosmic Gold: Strong Evidence of Subsurface Ice Found on Moon’s South Pole

New Delhi. Thursday, 28 May 2026

India’s second lunar exploration journey is proving to be a gift that keeps on giving. While global attention shifted to the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 in 2023, the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter has been quietly circling the Moon, gathering game-changing data. Scientists at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad have announced a major breakthrough: definitive evidence of water ice buried just beneath the dusty lunar surface.

This historic discovery points directly to a 1.1-kilometer-wide crater nestled inside the much larger Faustini crater at the lunar south pole. It could fundamentally reshape international plans for building permanent human bases on the Moon.

The Breakthrough: How ISRO Solved the Lunar Radar Puzzle

For decades, space agencies have struggled to identify lunar ice with absolute certainty. Traditional radar maps look for a high Circular Polarization Ratio (CPR), which measures how “messy” or scattered a radar signal is when it bounces back to an orbiter.

The problem? A field of jagged rocks or heavy boulders scatters radar waves the exact same way pure ice does, leading to countless false positives.

The PRL research team outsmarted this limitation by looking at a second crucial metric: the Degree of Polarization (DOP). DOP measures how well the returning signal holds onto its original shape.

[Radar Signal Sent] ---> Penetrates Surface Dust ---> [Volumetric Scattering Inside Ice]
                                                                |
                                                                V
                                            High CPR (> 1) + Ultra-Low DOP (< 0.13)
                                            (The definitive signature of hidden ice)

By mapping areas that simultaneously feature a high CPR (greater than 1) and an exceptionally low DOP (less than 0.13), scientists successfully ruled out rocky terrain. This specific mathematical footprint confirms volumetric scattering—meaning the radar waves are penetrating the loose topsoil and bouncing around inside clean, hidden ice pockets.

Why the “Lobate-Rim” Structure is a Smoking Gun

The 1.1-kilometer-wide micro-crater inside Faustini stands out because of its unusual physical shape. The orbiter observed a distinct lobate-rim morphology along its edges. Instead of looking sharp, rocky, and powdery like most lunar impact sites, this crater features smooth, flowing, lobe-like ripples.

Scientists believe that when a meteorite slammed into this permanently shadowed region, the intense heat momentarily melted a deeply buried, ice-rich layer. This liquid water-ice briefly mixed with the surrounding soil, causing it to flow smoothly outward like mud before instantly re-freezing in the harsh vacuum of space. The resulting flow pattern left behind a permanent geological fingerprint of the hidden ice sheet.

Fueling the Next Era of Human Space Exploration

The targeted craters are classified as “doubly shadowed,” meaning their towering rims block out all direct sunlight as well as reflected heat from nearby sunlit peaks. Temperatures here plunge to a bone-chilling 25 Kelvin (-248°C), creating an ideal cosmic deep-freeze capable of preserving water ice for billions of years.

Finding accessible ice just a few meters below the surface completely changes the economics of long-duration space travel. Instead of hauling every drop of water from Earth at an astronomical cost, future astronauts can mine local lunar ice for three critical resources:

• Hydration: Purified drinking water for human settlements.

• Oxygen: Breathable air split directly from water molecules.

• Rocket Fuel: Combining liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to transform the Moon into a literal interstellar refueling station.

Because the Moon has a fraction of Earth’s gravity, launching deep-space missions to Mars using fuel manufactured right on the lunar surface will make exploring the solar system significantly cheaper and physically easier. Chandrayaan-2 has effectively handed humanity the treasure map to the most valuable real estate in cislunar space.

Key Technical Specifications of the Discovery

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