The orbiter of Chandrayaan-2 has captured images of crater on the Moon and ISRO has named it after Vikram Sarabhai.

Sarabhai’s birth centenary year celebrations were completed on August 12 and it’s a tribute to the father of the Indian space programme.

Chandrayaan-2 continues to perform as per design and provides valuable scientific data. The public release of scientific data from Chandrayaan-2 for global use will begin in October 2020.

Planned to land on the South Pole of the Moon, Chandrayaan-2 was launched on July 22, 2019. However, the lander Vikram hard-landed on September 7. The orbiter of the mission is working fine and has been sending data.

Features of the Sarabhai Crater

Terrain Mapping Camera–2 (TMC-2) onboard Chandrayaan–2 orbiter captured the Sarabhai Crater on Mare Serenitatis in the northeast quadrant of the Moon. Mare Serenitatis is one of the lunar mare regions on the Moon, with vast lava plains creating a near flat surface. This crater was previously identified as Bessel A. 

The crater has an estimated diameter of 8 km. At nearly 250-300 km east of Sarabhai Crater is the landing site of Apollo 17 and Luna 21 missions.

The Sarabhai Crater captured in 3D images shows that it has a depth of around 1.7 km taken from its raised rim and the slope of the walls is in between 25 to 35 degree. 

The raised rim, the gradient inner walls and the small hummocky floor makes the Sarabhai Crater an excellent example to understand the impact processes on the lava filled region of the Moon.

Vikaram Sarabhai’s role in space programme

Vikaram Sarabhai, an astrophysicist, was a pioneer in establishing many institutions in diverse fields. 

After returning from Cambridge in 1947, he persuaded charitable trusts controlled by his family and friends to endow a research institution near his home. The Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) was set up in Ahmedabad on November 11, 1947. He was also chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission. 

The establishment of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was one of his greatest achievements. He convinced the government of the importance of a space programme for a developing country like India following the launch of Soviet Union’s Sputnik. Homi J. Bhabha, who is regarded as the father of India’s nuclear science programme, supported Sarabhai in setting up the first rocket launching station in India. This centre was established at Thumba near Thiruvananthapuram on the coast of the Arabian Sea, primarily because of its proximity to the Equator. 

Some other institutions established by him are:

* Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad

* Darpan Academy for Performing Arts, Ahmedabad

* Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad

* Faster Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR), Kalpakkam

* Variable Energy Cyclotron Project, Kolkata

* Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), Hyderabad

* Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL), Jaduguda, Bihar.