NEW DELHI: Indian scientists have discovered signs of possible presence of ice beneath shadowed craters near the moon’s south pole using data from a lunar orbiter launched almost seven years ago, the country’s space agency has announced. The Chandrayaan-2 orbiter was part of a mission that included a lander and rover, aimed at exploring the south pole of the moon. Since reaching lunar orbit in 2019, it has been mapping the moon’s surface and studying its polar region with the highest resolution camera in any lunar mission.

Indian scientists have found strong evidence of subsurface ice near the Moon's south pole. Data from Chandrayaan-2's radar instrument revealed ice in craters. This discovery adds…

Scientists focused on doubly shadowed craters, which are special craters located inside permanently shadowed regions of the moon.