Chandrayaan-1 on its way to the Moon

William Atkins
Wednesday, 22 October 2008 18:31

Science - Space

Basically, the spacecraft has already performed a series of maneuvers to move it into a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) around the Earth.

It will soon perform other burns to place it into a preliminary lunar orbit with a perigee (closest point to the Moon) of 1,019 kilometers (633 miles) and apogee (furthest point) of 386,194 kilometers (239,970 miles).

Then, 5.5 days later, it will perform another maneuver to slow its speed so the Moon’s gravity can capture it.

At this point, the Indian spacecraft will be in a 7,500-kilometer (4,660-mile) by 500-kilometer (311-mile) orbit around the Moon.

Another series of maneuvers will lower its orbit further until it is in an approximate 100-kilometer (62-mile) near-circular orbit.

This mission to the Moon will make India the sixth country to orbit its own spacecraft around the Moon.

The United States, Soviet Union (Russia), Japan, European Union, and China are the other five countries to so far accomplish such a feat.

Only the United States has sent people to the Moon and back safely.

India’s next Moon mission is Chandrayaan-2, which will consist of orbital spacecraft and a motorized rover that is scheduled to land on the lunar surface in 2010 or 2011.