Chandrayaan-1 (transl. Moon-craft, pronunciation (help·info))[6] was the first Indian lunar probe under Chandrayaan program. It was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation in October 2008, and operated until August 2009. The mission included a lunar orbiter and an impactor. India launched the spacecraft using a PSLV-XLrocket on 22 October 2008 at 00:52 UTC from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.[7] The mission was a major boost to India's space program,[8] as India researched and developed its own technology in order to explore the Moon.[9] The vehicle was inserted into lunar orbit on 8 November 2008.[10]
Chandrayaan-1
Mission typeLunar orbiter
OperatorIndian Space Research Organisation
COSPAR ID2008-052A
SATCAT no.33405
Websitewww.isro.gov.in/Spacecraft/chandrayaan-1
Mission durationPlanned: 2 years
Final: 10 months, 6 days
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass1,380 kg (3,040 lb)[1]
Dry mass560 kg (1,230 lb)[2]
Payload mass105 kg (231 lb)[2]
Start of mission
Launch date22 October 2008, 00:52 UTC
RocketPSLV-XL C11[3][4]
Launch siteSatish DhawanSecond Pad
ContractorISRO
End of mission
Last contact28 August 2009, 20:00 UTC
Orbital parameters
Reference systemSelenocentric
Semi-major axis1,758 kilometers (1,092 mi)
Eccentricity0.0
Periselene altitude200 km (120 mi)
Aposelene altitude200 km (120 mi)
Epoch19 May 2009
Lunar orbiter
Orbital insertion8 November 2008
Orbits3,400 at EOM[5]
Indian Lunar Exploration Program
Chandrayaan-2 →
On 14 November 2008, the Moon Impact Probeseparated from the Chandrayaan orbiter at 14:36 UTC and struck the south pole in a controlled manner, making India the fourth country to place its flag insignia on the Moon.[11] The probe hit near the crater Shackleton at 15:01 UTC, ejecting sub-surface soil that could be analysed for the presence of lunar water ice.[12] The location of impact was named Jawahar Point.[13]
The estimated cost for the project was ₹386 crore (US$54 million).[14]
It was intended to survey the lunar surface over a two-year period, to produce a complete map of the chemical composition at the surface and three-dimensional topography. The polar regions are of special interest as they might contain water ice.[15] Among its many achievements was the discovery of widespread presence of water molecules in lunar soil.[16]
After almost a year, the orbiter started suffering from several technical issues including failure of the star tracker and poor thermal shielding; Chandrayaan-1 stopped communicating at about 20:00 UTC on 28 August 2009, shortly after which the ISROofficially declared the mission over. Chandrayaan-1 operated for 312 days as opposed to the intended two years, but the mission achieved most of its scientific objectives.[5][17][18][19]
On 2 July 2016, NASA used ground-based radar systems to relocate Chandrayaan-1 in its lunar orbit, more than seven years after it shut down.[20][21] Repeated observations over the next three months allowed a precise determination of its orbit which varies between 150 and 270 km (93 and 168 mi) in altitude every two years.[22]
HistoryEdit
Prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee announced the Chandrayaan 1 project on course in his Independence Day speech on 15 August 2003.[23] The mission was a major boost to India's space program.[8] The idea of an Indian scientific mission to the Moon was first mooted in 1999 during a meeting of the Indian Academy of Sciences. The Astronautical Society of India (ASI) carried forward the idea in 2000. Soon after, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) set up the National Lunar Mission Task Force which concluded that ISRO has the technical expertise to carry out an Indian mission to the Moon. In April 2003 over 100 eminent Indian scientists in the fields of planetary and space sciences, Earth sciences, physics, chemistry, astronomy, astrophysics, engineering and communication sciences discussed and approved the Task Force recommendation to launch an Indian probe to the Moon. Six months later, in November, the Indian government gave approval for the mission.[24][25]
