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India launches its first Moon mission

Article published on the 2008-10-22 Latest update 2008-10-22 11:10 TU

Chandrayaan-1 takes off from India's national space centre in Andhra Pradesh.(Photo : Reuters)

Chandrayaan-1 takes off from India's national space centre in Andhra Pradesh.
(Photo : Reuters)

India launched its first lunar rocket Wednesday morning, hoping to join the elite group of countries to land on the Moon.

Cheers broke out at mission central as the rocket carrying the unmanned lunar orbiting spacecraft Chandrayaan-1 took off at 6:22 am from Sriharikota, on India’s southeastern coast, reaching stable earth orbit 19 minutes later. The head of the Indian Space Research Organisation, Madhavan Nair, said it was an “historic moment” for the country.

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The launch was broadcast live on several national television stations, one even playing the Star Wars theme music to accompany the count down.

Chandrayaan-1 will reach the Moon’s orbit in 15 days, and spend two years there mapping the Moon’s surface. Landing a probe on the Moon’s surface is also a part of the 80 million dollar (62 million euro) mission.

The European Space Agency (ESA), which contributed scientific equipment to the orbiter, also lauded the launch. “In an era of renewed interest for the Moon on a worldwide scale, the … Chandrayaan-1 is a new opportunity for Europe to expand its competence in lunar science while tightening the long-standing relationship with India – an ever stronger space power,” said ESA director David Southwood.

India is hoping to use this mission as a stepping stone to a manned space programme. Work has already started on a two-person capsule, which could be launched by 2015.

It is also a technological testing ground for the lucrative commercial satellite launch market. India put an Italian and an Israeli satellite into orbit last year.

But India’s space program still has a long way to go if it wants to compete with Russia, the US, China and Europe, all of which have more advanced technology.

China, which joined Russia and the US earlier this year as the only countries to have carried out a manned spacewalk, is actively pursuing a manned mission to the Moon.