Why is it in the news?

• India’s Pratyush Telescope is being considered for placement around the moon, as part of astronomers’ efforts to expand observational capabilities beyond Earth’s orbit.
• Astronomers aim to enhance their understanding of the universe by deploying high-resolution telescopes on the moon and in lunar orbit.

 More about the news

• PRATUSH (Probing ReionizATion of the Universe using Signal from Hydrogen) is a radio telescope intended to be situated on the moon’s far side.
• The Raman Research Institute (RRI) in Bengaluru is spearheading the construction of PRATUSH in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
• Initially, ISRO plans to position PRATUSH into Earth’s orbit for preliminary testing and calibration. Following this, the telescope will be launched towards the moon for its designated mission.
• Placing telescopes on the moon’s far side offers advantages such as reduced interference from Earth’s radio signals and clearer observations of distant celestial objects.