Overview
- Researchers at the Physical Research Laboratory published results in late May showing DFSAR radar signatures consistent with subsurface ice beneath four “doubly shadowed” craters near the lunar south pole.
- The team used Chandrayaan-2’s Dual Frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar, the first fully polarimetric L‑ and S‑band SAR at the Moon, to probe below crater floors and detect volumetric scattering.
- Scientists applied a new polarimetric test—Circular Polarization Ratio greater than 1 combined with Degree of Polarization below 0.13—to separate ice‑like volumetric scattering from rough rocky surfaces.
- A 1.1‑kilometre crater inside the larger Faustini basin is the strongest candidate, showing both the radar signature and a lobate‑rim morphology that may mark an impact into ice‑rich ground.
- Orbital radar provides probable detections but not proof of extractable water; in‑situ landers, rovers, or sample returns are required to confirm composition, depth, concentration and mineability and to guide future ISRU and landing plans.