India’s Chandrayaan-2 mission has detected the first direct proof of solar storms increasing the Moon’s atmospheric density during a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) in May last year.

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• Chandrayaan-2’s CHACE-2 instrument recorded molecular density rise in the Moon’s exosphere.
• The event occurred during a massive CME — a burst of plasma from the Sun.
• Moon’s exosphere thickened as solar plasma knocked off surface molecules.
• Moon lacks magnetic shield, making it more exposed to solar blasts.
• Data confirmed pressure spike in Moon’s sunlit exosphere during the CME impact.
• Study published in Geophysical Research Letters by ISRO’s MB Dhanya and team.
• Marks first experimental proof of solar activity altering lunar atmosphere.
• Helps understand Moon’s space weather and human mission challenges by 2040.
• Crucial for designing future lunar bases resistant to extreme solar radiation.
• Insights may also explain exospheres on Mercury, asteroids, and exoplanets.