Chandrayaan - I

Just read a detailed write-up on the Chandrayaan - I, India's first launch vehicle to the Moon. It is supposed to be launched sometime in September this year, though a final date is not yet confirmed.

Chandrayaan - I will primarily be a remote sensing satellite, for sensing the lunar surface. This satellite is expected to map the lunar surface and create a 3-D atlas of the topography. The entire launch vehicle will contain 11 payloads, 5 by ISRO and 6 by international agencies like NASA, ESA and The Bulgarian Space Agency. The spacecraft will be launched by a modified version of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) PSLV-XL. The PSLV is the workhorse of ISRO, with a string of uninterrupted successes till date. The spacecraft is supposed to reach the moon in 5 and 1/2 days time.

There is a wonderful site put in place by ISRO covering all aspects of the mission. In case one is interested, it can be visted here.

Waiting eargrly for the launch and the pictures! By the way, here is a sample picture of central Delhi taken by the CARTOSAT-2A and presented to the Prime Minister by the ISRO team. CARTOSAT-2A was the main payload of the epic PSLV - C9 launch, which put 10 satellites into space creating a world record.

It is good to see, the space programme of our country now yielding commercial results in big magnitudes.