India's Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday shared images of vast lava plains creating a near flat surface on the Moon, captured by the Terrain Mapping Camera – 2 (TMC-2) on board the ISRO's Chandrayaan-2.
The images were shared on the birthday of Dr Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai, the father of the Indian space programme. The pictures of the Sarabhai Crater on Mare Serenitatis in the northeast quadrant of the Moon show these vast lava plains. Sarabhai was an Indian physicist and astronomer who initiated space research and helped develop nuclear power in the country.
"The Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft was inserted into lunar orbit on 20 August 2019. All eight payloads on Chandrayaan-2 are performing well. The global mapping of lunar surface and polar coverage are being carried out as per the mission plan", ISRO has said.
As per the space agency statement, public release of scientific data from Chandrayaan-2 for global use will begin in October 2020, wherein details for accessing the data will be provided.
While the Chandrayaan-2 failed to make a soft landing on the lunar surface, its orbiter continues to perform "as per the design providing valuable scientific data" and continues sending pictures back to Earth.
It began its voyage on 22 July from the ISRO’s spaceport on the eastern coast of Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, but lost contact with the ISRO's Earth Station just minutes before the scheduled soft-landing near the Moon's south pole.