said ISRO(Indian Space Research Operation) Chief G Madhavan Nair, after the successful launch of their dream project Chandrayan-1, India’s first unmanned Lunar mission, placing the country in an elite club of six moon-faring nations.

Lets express our hearty CONGRATULATIONS to ISRO, on their precise mission.

This is a marvelous achievement, and a pride moment for every Indian.

CHANDRAYAN in sanskrit means “voyage to the moon”.

The 44.53 meter tall 4 staged launch vehicle PSLV-C11(Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) swiftly ascent into the space filling the morning sky with a plume of velvety smoke tracking the projectile.

                The launch happened in a text book precision at 6:22 AM (IST) on 22 October 2008 at Satish Dhawan Space Centre,located in an island on Bay of Bengal,100 kms north of Chennai.


The satellite spearheaded by the ISRO’s launch horse is weighing 1304 kg and is cuboidal in shape,carries 11 payloads, including two instruments from the American space agency, NASA, which will assess mineral resources, map the polar regions, look for ice deposits and prepare a three-dimensional atlas of the moon and prospect the lunar surface for natural resources.

Chandrayaan-1 will also look for possible uranium deposits on the moon.


The 360-tonne PSLV-C11 has precisely achieved the objective of placing the satellite in the orbit around the earth with its nearest point being 250 km (perigee) and the farthest around 23,000 km (apogee) according to the press release from ISRO.

The satellite spacecraft will be injected into the lunar orbit on November 8th 2008,in about 15 days from now.

The Scientific Objective

The Chandrayaan-1 mission is aimed at high-resolution remote sensing of the moon in visible, near infrared(NIR), low energy X-rays and high-energy X-ray regions. Specifically the objectives will be

 

To prepare a three-dimensional atlas (with a high spatial and altitude resolution of 5-10m) of both near and far side of the moon.
To conduct chemical and mineralogical mapping of the entire lunar surface for distribution of elements such as Magnesium, Aluminum, Silicon, Calcium, Iron and Titanium with a spatial resolution of about 25 km and high atomic number elements such as Radon, Uranium & Thorium with a spatial resolution of about 20 km.

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Simultaneous photo geological and chemical mapping will enable identification of different geological units, which will test the early evolutionary history of the moon and help in determining the nature and stratigraphy of the lunar crust.

Mission Objectives
To realise the mission goal of harnessing the science payloads, lunar craft and the launch vehicle with suitable ground support systems including DSN station.
To realise the integration and testing, launching and achieving lunar polar orbit of about 100 km, in-orbit operation of experiments, communication/ telecommand, telemetry data reception, quick look data and archival for scientific utilization by identified group of scientists.

Foot Note:

With this success, the manned mission to space and that of Mars is dream come reality for ISRO.