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Dual Frequency Radio Science Experiment Onboard Chandrayaan-2:A Radio Occultation Technique to Study Temporal and Spatial Variations in the Surface-Bound Ionosphere of the Moon


Affiliations
1 Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram 695 022, India
2 U.R. Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru 560 017, India
3 ISRO Telemetry, Tracking, and Command Network, Bengaluru 560 058, India
 

The Dual Frequency Radio Science experiment aboard Chandrayaan-2 uses the communication channel between orbiter and ground in radio occultation mode to study the temporal evolution of electron density in the lunar ionosphere. It consists of a highly stable 20 MHz evacuated miniaturized crystal oscillator source, having a stability of the order of 10–11, which generates two coherent signals at the X (8496 MHz) and S (2240 MHz) bands of radio frequencies. The coherent radio signals, transmitted simultaneously from the satellite and received at the ground-based deep station network receivers would be used to study temporal and spatial variations in the lunar ionosphere. The major science objectives of the experiments include: (i) to study variations in the ionosphere/ atmosphere of the Moon; (ii) to explore if the ionosphere of the Moon is omnipresent or has episodic appearances, and (iii) to confirm the source of ions in the lunar ionosphere – whether dusty or molecular.

Keywords

Chandrayaan, Ionosphere, Moon, Radio Occultation.
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  • Dual Frequency Radio Science Experiment Onboard Chandrayaan-2:A Radio Occultation Technique to Study Temporal and Spatial Variations in the Surface-Bound Ionosphere of the Moon

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Authors

R. K. Choudhary
Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram 695 022, India
K. R. Bindu
U.R. Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru 560 017, India
Kumar Harshit
U.R. Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru 560 017, India
Rahul Karkara
U.R. Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru 560 017, India
K. M. Ambili
Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram 695 022, India
T. K. Pant
Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram 695 022, India
Devadas Shenoy
U.R. Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru 560 017, India
Chandrakanta Kumar
U.R. Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru 560 017, India
N. Hemanth Kumar Reddy
U.R. Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru 560 017, India
T. K. Rajendran
ISRO Telemetry, Tracking, and Command Network, Bengaluru 560 058, India
M. Nazer
Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram 695 022, India
M. Shajahan
Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram 695 022, India

Abstract


The Dual Frequency Radio Science experiment aboard Chandrayaan-2 uses the communication channel between orbiter and ground in radio occultation mode to study the temporal evolution of electron density in the lunar ionosphere. It consists of a highly stable 20 MHz evacuated miniaturized crystal oscillator source, having a stability of the order of 10–11, which generates two coherent signals at the X (8496 MHz) and S (2240 MHz) bands of radio frequencies. The coherent radio signals, transmitted simultaneously from the satellite and received at the ground-based deep station network receivers would be used to study temporal and spatial variations in the lunar ionosphere. The major science objectives of the experiments include: (i) to study variations in the ionosphere/ atmosphere of the Moon; (ii) to explore if the ionosphere of the Moon is omnipresent or has episodic appearances, and (iii) to confirm the source of ions in the lunar ionosphere – whether dusty or molecular.

Keywords


Chandrayaan, Ionosphere, Moon, Radio Occultation.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv118%2Fi2%2F210-218