Chandrayaan-1 on its way to the Moon

William Atkins
Wednesday, 22 October 2008 18:31

Science - Space

The Indian unmanned spacecraft Chandrayaan-1 (or “Lunar Craft-1”) began its lunar exploration mission to the Moon at 5:22 a.m. Indian Standard Time (00:52 UTC) on October 22, 2008. It is India’s first mission to Earth’s nearest neighbor.


The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), India’s counterpart to NASA of the United States, announced that the 2,884-pound (1,308-kilogram) craft has successfully been launched into orbit about the Earth.

It will now perform a series of maneuvers that will eventually cause the spacecraft to orbit the Moon for its two-year exploration of the lunar surface.

During this two-year period, it will be in a near-circular polar orbit about the Moon.

For additional information on Chandrayaan-1 from the ISRO, please go to “A Glimpse of Chandrayaan-1: India’s First Mission to Moon.”

After the spacecraft reaches its transfer orbit to the Moon (in around 9.5 days after launch), it will take approximately 5.5 days to reach the Moon.

In all, it will take the spacecraft about 15 days to reach its orbit around the Moon.

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