On the right side of this photograph is the integrated payload and spacecraft of Chandrayaan-2, an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) lunar exploration mission. In the image, the mission’s Dual-Frequency synthetic aperture radar (DFSAR) instrument is being tested prior to launch in an anechoic chamber — a room designed to minimize reflections and echos at specific wavelengths, allowing scientists to evaluate the function of an instrument. Chandrayaan-2 launched in 2019 and is currently orbiting the Moon, mapping out the lunar surface and exploring its thin atmosphere. In a new publication, a team of scientists led by Sriram Bhiravarasu (Space Applications Centre, ISRO) provides a preliminary report on DFSAR’s performance and describes what we may be able to learn from the radar polarization measurements made by this instrument — for instance, how the rockiness of craters evolve with time on the Moon’s surface. To learn more (and to see some cool radar images of the Moon’s surface), check out the original article below.
Citation
“Chandrayaan-2 Dual-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (DFSAR): Performance Characterization and Initial Results,” Sriram S. Bhiravarasu et al 2021 Planet. Sci. J. 2 134. doi:10.3847/PSJ/abfdbf