ON FRIDAY (23), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) opened its scientific data from the Chandrayaan-3 mission to researchers worldwide, marking the first anniversary of India’s successful lunar landing.
The space agency has released over 55 gigabytes of data from the five payloads – three aboard the Vikram lander and two on the Pragyan rover – that made history on August 23 last year by achieving a soft landing near the Moon's unexplored south pole.
"This data will not be confined to the scientists who developed the instruments but will be made available to researchers globally to enhance the mission's outcomes," ISRO Chairman S Somanath announced during the National Space Day celebrations.
The Chandrayaan-3 data sets are now accessible through the PRADAN portal of the Indian Space Science Data Centre (ISSDC) at www.pradan.issdc.gov.in.
The Pragyan rover conducted in-situ chemical analyses of the lunar surface, contributing to a better understanding of the Moon's origin and evolution. This information is crucial for future lunar exploration and potential resource utilisation.
Scientists from Ahmedabad's Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) after studying the data from Chandrayaan-3 provided evidence to confirm the Lunar Magma Ocean Hypothesis that the Moon evolved from a giant ocean of magma which later cooled down.
President Droupadi Murmu made it a point to laud the findings of India's space scientists which were published in science journal 'Nature' in her speech on the National Space Day.
The president said ISRO had made remarkable achievements in the space sector as well as made invaluable contributions to the country's social and economic development. (PTI)
