The mission included a lunar orbiter and an impactor. India launched the spacecraft by a modified version of the PSLV, PSLV C11on 22 October 2008 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh, about 80 km north of Chennai, at 06:22 IST (00:52 UTC). The mission was a major boost to India's space program, as India researched and developed its own technology in order to explore the Moon.The vehicle was successfully inserted into lunar orbit on 8 November 2008.
On 14 November 2008, the Moon Impact Probe separated from the Chandrayaan orbiter at 20:06 and struck the south pole in a controlled manner, making India the fourth country to place its flag on the Moon. The probe impacted near Shackleton Crater at 20:31 ejecting underground soil that could be analysed for the presence of lunar water ice.
The estimated cost for the project was Rs. 386 crore (US$ 80 million).
| Organization | Indian Space Research Organisation |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Orbiter |
| Satellite of | Moon |
| Orbital insertion date | 12 November 2008 |
| Orbits | 3400 orbits around the Moon. |
| Launch date | 22 October 2008 00:52 UTC |
| Launch vehicle | PSLV-C11 |
| Launch site | SDSC, Sriharikota |
| Mission duration | Intended: 2 years Achieved: 312 days |
| COSPAR ID | 2008-052A |
| Home page | Chandrayaan-1 |
| Mass | 523 kg (1,153 lb) |
| Orbital elements | |
| Eccentricity | near circular |
| Inclination | polar |
| Apoapsis | initial 7,500 km (4,660 mi), final 100 km (62 mi), final (wef 19 May 2009) 200 km (124 mi) |
| Periapsis | initial 500 km (311 mi), final 100 km (62 mi), final (wef 19 May 2009) 200 km (124 mi) |
Objectives
The stated scientific objectives of the mission were:- To design, develop, launch and orbit a spacecraft around the Moon using an Indian-made launch vehicle.
- Conduct scientific experiments using instruments on the spacecraft which would yield the following data:
- Preparation of a three-dimensional atlas (with high spatial and altitude resolution of 5-10 m) of both the near and far side of the Moon.
- Chemical and mineralogical mapping of the entire lunar surface at high spatial resolution, mapping particularly the chemical elements magnesium, aluminium, silicon, calcium, iron, titanium, radon, uranium, & thorium.
- To increase the scientific knowledge
- The impact of a sub-satellite (Moon Impact
- Probe — MIP) on the surface on the Moon as a fore-runner to future soft-landing missions.
End of the mission
The mission was launched in 22 October 2008 and expected to operate for 2 years. However, at 09.02 (UTC) on 29 August 2009 communication with the spacecraft was suddenly lost. The probe had operated for 312 days. The craft will remain in orbit for approximately another 1000 days, eventually crashing into the lunar surface.A member of the science advisory board of Chandrayaan-1 said that it is difficult to ascertain reasons for the loss of contact. ISRO Chairman -Madhavan Nair- said that due to very high radiation, power-supply units controlling both the computer systems on board failed, snapping the communication connectivity. The mission which ended traced water on moon.
Water discovered on moon
This was confirmed on 24 September 2009, when Science Magazine reported that NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) on Chandrayaan-1 has detected water on the moon.
M3 detected absorption features near 2.8-3.0 µm on the surface of the Moon. For silicate bodies, such features are typically attributed to hydroxyl- and/or water-bearing materials. On the Moon, the feature is seen as a widely distributed absorption that appears strongest at cooler high latitudes and at several fresh feldspathic craters. The general lack of correlation of this feature in sunlit M3 data with neutron spectrometer H abundance data suggests that the formation and retention of OH and H2O is an ongoing surficial process. OH/H2O production processes may feed polar cold traps and make the lunar regolith a candidate source of volatiles for human exploration.
Award for Chandrayaan-1
The International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG) chose the Chandrayaan-1 team for giving the International Cooperation award, M, Annadurai, project director, Chandrayaan-1.
The Chandrayaan team of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was chosen for the award for accommodation and tests of the most international lunar payload ever (from 20 countries consisting of India, the European Space Agency representing 17 European countries, NASA and Bulgaria) and the successful launch of the probe on PSLV rocket on 22 October and the lunar insertion of the spacecraft carried out subsequently.
The Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3), an imaging spectrometer, was one of the 11 instruments on board Chandrayaan-I that came to a premature end on 29 August. M3 was aimed at providing the first mineral map of the entire lunar surface.
Team
The scientists considered instrumental to the success of the Chandrayaan-1 project are:- G. Madhavan Nair – Chairman, Indian Space Research Organization
- Dr. T. K. Alex – Director, ISAC (ISRO Satellite Centre)
- Mylswamy Annadurai – Project Director, Chandrayan-1
- S. K. Shivkumar – Director - Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network
- Mr. M.Pitchaimani – Operations Director, Chandrayan-1
- Mr. Leo Jackson John – Spacecraft Operations Manager, Chandrayan-1
- Dr. K.Radhakrishnan – Director, VSSC
- George Koshy – Mission Director, PSLV-C11
- Srinivasa Hegde – Mission Director, Chandrayaan-1
- M C Dattan – Director of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota
- Prof. J N Goswami – Director of Physical Research Laboratory and Principal Scientific Investigator of Chandrayaan-1
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