Chandrayaan's 15 instruments are now studying Earth, Sun and Moon; 65 TB already received since 2019

In a significant stride for India's space endeavors, the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter has transmitted an impressive 65 terabytes (TB) of data since its launch in 2019. As per a TOI report, this wealth of data is poised to expand further as the payloads aboard the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover fron Chandrayaan-3 mission will become fully operational.

Presently, India boasts 15 scientific instruments actively probing various aspects of the Moon, extending their studies towards the Sun and Earth. Notably, eight of these instruments are housed within the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, which has been orbiting the Moon for the past few years.

Out of the total data transmitted, a substantial 60TB originates from four prominent instruments developed by the Space Applications Centre (SAC): the Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC), Imaging InfraRed Spectrometer (IIRS), Orbiter High-Resolution Camera (OHRC), and Dual Frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (DFSAR). Nilesh M Desai, Director of SAC, told TOI, "The orbiter's presence in its designated lunar orbit since August 2019 has persistently enriched our understanding of the Moon's evolution, mineral composition, and water distribution in its polar regions. Four of these advanced instruments were crafted by us."


Solar X-ray Monitor (XSM), engineered by the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad, has contributed around 4.5TB of the received data. This specialized instrument diligently detects X-rays emitted by the Sun and its corona, making crucial observations that reinforce the findings of another onboard tool named CLASS (Chandrayaan-2 Large Area Soft X-ray Spectrometer). Developed by the UR Rao Satellite Centre, CLASS explores the scattering of Sun-originating X-rays by lunar surface elements.

With the recent touchdown of Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander on the Moon's south polar region, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has expedited its lunar operations. Pragyan, the rover, is now traversing the lunar surface, as several payloads on the lander, such as the Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA), Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive ionosphere and Atmosphere (RAMBHA), and Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE), are operational. Additionally, the Spectro-polarimetry of HAbitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload on the propulsion module has been activated, marking the progress of ISRO's meticulous plans.