ISRO released to public the initial data from Chandrayaan-2

ISRO released to public the initial data from Chandrayaan-2

Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Sci & Tech

In news 

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) released to public the initial data from Chandrayaan-2. 
• It was India’s second Moon mission, which was launched on July 22, 2019.

Key takeaways 

• The Orbiter, which was injected into a lunar orbit on September 2, 2019, carried eight experiments/payloads, all of which have been performing well and sending data received.
• The public release data archived at the Indian Space Science Data Center (ISSDC) in Byalalu (Bengaluru) is prepared in the standard, globally followed planetary data system-4 (PDS4) format for public release.
• The ISSDC is the nodal center of planetary data archive for planetary missions of ISRO.

Chandrayaan-2 key facts:

• 1st space mission to conduct a soft landing on the Moon’s south polar region
• 1st Indian expedition to attempt a soft landing on the lunar surface with home-grown technology
• It is India’s first interplanetary mission to be steered by two women: project director M Vanitha and mission director Ritu Karidhal.
• 1st Indian mission to explore the lunar terrain with home-grown technology
• 4th country ever to soft land on the lunar surface