India to launch unmanned lunar mission this month

Space & Earth science / Space Exploration

The Satellite Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, India's first moon mission craft is seen from behind glass at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) center in Bangalore on September 18, 2008. India will launch its first lunar mission on October 22 from southern India, a top official from the country's space agency said Monday.

India will launch its first lunar mission on October 22 from southern India, a top official from the country's space agency said Monday.

The announcement came a week after Asian rival China said it was setting its sights on a manned trip to the moon after completing a historic mission that included the country's first space walk.

"We have set October 22 as the tentative date for the launch of lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-1, though the launch window will be kept open till October 26," Indian Space Research Organisation director S. Satish told AFP.

"Weather permitting, the launch will take place around 6:30 am (0100 GMT)."

The launch of the unmanned robotic mission was originally planned for April but was postponed because of technical reasons, local news reports said earlier this year.

India will join Japan and China in moon exploration with the planned mission. The spacecraft will conduct a lunar orbit at a distance of 385,000 kilometres (240,000 miles) from Earth.

Last year, China's Chang'e I lunar satellite took off on October 24 after Japan launched its Kaguya lunar orbiter on September 14.

Last month, millions in China watched as astronaut Zhai Zhigang, 41, embarked on a 15-minute space walk, during which he waved a Chinese flag in the weightlessness of low orbit some 340 kilometres (210 miles) above the Earth.

India's first robotic mission, budgeted at 90 million dollars, will be followed by another in 2012, ISRO has said. A timetable for a manned mission will be announced this year.

Spacefaring nations are accelerating their quest to reach the moon more than three decades after the last human landing, and use it as a springboard to explore planets beyond.

The US Apollo programme resulted in the only manned spaceflights to the moon, with six landings from 1969 to 1972.

Š 2008 AFP

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Posted by Modernmystic 10/06/08 13:51

Rank: 4.2/5 after 6 votes

Good on ya India!

Finally a country with an emerging space program that isn't likely to use it to drop nukes on someone...

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Posted by SUBdiversity 10/06/08 17:04

Rank: 3.3/5 after 3 votes

I'm genuinely very pleased to hear of other countries exploring beyond our outer atmosphere. I do think it could cause conflict in the future but it remains to be seen how America will react to any possible success India and China have.
I can't wait to hear reports from another nations moon landing. Then the whole did/ didn't Neil Armstrong actually walk on the moon debate can be settled at long last. Then again.. even if he didn't I can't see the USA admitting it. All they would do is deny any contradictory claims and then invade the accusers!.
BTW, Has anybody stumbled upon a cure for cynicism yet?.

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Posted by seversky 10/06/08 17:11

Rank: 5/5 after 2 votes

It will be interesting to see how the new space age develops. With private individuals as well as once-third-world countries now capable of sending human beings beyond our atmosphere, I think some big advances are ahead of us.

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Posted by Yelmurc 10/06/08 17:35

Rank: 3.5/5 after 2 votes

This is certainly good news. Although part of me would rather see NASA disbanded and have all the countries create a UN of space agencys and concentrate on the same goals. We don't need 20 trips to the moon just to prove each country can do it on its own.

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Posted by Thadieus 10/06/08 20:07

Rank: 3.5/5 after 2 votes

Maybe we can hitch a ride and fix Hubble.

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Posted by DGBEACH 10/06/08 20:46

Rank: 3/5 after 2 votes

What exactly would NASA be able to to for 90M dollars? I'd say that if they pull this off it'll be a step in the right direction.

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Posted by Velanarris 10/07/08 04:47

Rank: 5/5 after 4 votes

Good on ya India!

Finally a country with an emerging space program that isn't likely to use it to drop nukes on someone...

MM, that's exactly why India started their space program. They really, really dislike a lot of other countries.

I'm genuinely very pleased to hear of other countries exploring beyond our outer atmosphere. I do think it could cause conflict in the future but it remains to be seen how America will react to any possible success India and China have.
I can't wait to hear reports from another nations moon landing. Then the whole did/ didn't Neil Armstrong actually walk on the moon debate can be settled at long last. Then again.. even if he didn't I can't see the USA admitting it. All they would do is deny any contradictory claims and then invade the accusers!.
BTW, Has anybody stumbled upon a cure for cynicism yet?.

There's proof up there already. We use laser to measure the distance from the Earth to the moon using devices placed there by the lunar expedition. It's basically a big mirror. The fact we can do this blows the whole conspiracy theory out of the water. Anyone who doesn't think we went to the moon is crazy.

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Posted by SUBdiversity 10/07/08 06:17

Rank: 2.4/5 after 5 votes

"There's proof up there already. We use laser to measure the distance from the Earth to the moon using devices placed there by the lunar expedition. It's basically a big mirror".

I already knew that.. but thanks. Did Neil Armstrong place the mirror on the moon surface personally?.

"The fact we can do this blows the whole conspiracy theory out of the water".

I didn't say I agreed did I?. The conspiracy theory is to do with the moon. As far as we know there is no water up there. I guess you meant dust?.

"Anyone who doesn't think we went to the moon is crazy".

Anyone who doesn't occasionally question orthodox views, esp' those put forth by the controlled mass media could also be described as crazy, although naive might be a better word.

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Posted by Velanarris 10/07/08 06:58

Rank: 5/5 after 3 votes

I already knew that.. but thanks. Did Neil Armstrong place the mirror on the moon surface personally?.

Actually the astronauts did place it there personally and there's video of the calibration of the devices in the national archive.

Anyone who doesn't occasionally question orthodox views, esp' those put forth by the controlled mass media could also be described as crazy, although naive might be a better word.

No, anyone who ignores the media and goes for hard evidence is ensuring they're on the ball. Anyone who ignores factual evidence that has been witnessed without a doubt and is physically quantifiable is a fool.

If I tell you 2 plus 2=4 and you doubt me then that's fine and good. If everyone tells you that 2 plus 2=4 and you doubt it, that's also well and good. If someone takes you by the hand and shows youthat 2 plus 2=4 and you doubt it at that point then you're an idiot.

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Posted by Soylent 10/07/08 07:52

Rank: 5/5 after 4 votes

I already knew that.. but thanks. Did Neil Armstrong place the mirror on the moon surface personally?.

Yes, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong went out and placed a small box containing an array of corner-cube reflecting prisms on the lunar surface about an hour before the end of the last moonwalk.

http://en.wikiped...52HR.jpg

It is still used today to measure the distance to the moon to within an accuracy of 3 cm together with 4 other retroreflectors.

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Posted by Sirussinder 10/07/08 09:58

Rank: 2/5 after 3 votes

For 90 million dollars NASA can make a cardboard spacecraft that will go nowhere but on display so they can talk about the future of space travel instead of doing it.

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Posted by Velanarris 10/07/08 18:17

Rank: 5/5 after 1 vote

For 90 million dollars NASA can make a cardboard spacecraft that will go nowhere but on display so they can talk about the future of space travel instead of doing it.

It's a lot easier and cheaper to do something when 4 other countries have done it before you and handed over a majority of the technlogy they did it with.

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Posted by matelot 10/17/08 09:24

Not rated yet.

look whos talking....
nobody gave any tech to india, in contrast usa slammed russia in 93 not to supply the cryogenic engines to india as they thought india would build missiles, guess what india built the cryogenics themselves, and obvsly its much cheaper to achieve such feats in india...
ever heard of out sourcing or the new six core (i guess) chip made by intel totally in india.