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Chandrayaan-1

Chandrayaan-1
Chandrayaan-1 (transparent).png
Mission type Lunar orbiter
Operator Indian Space Research Organisation
COSPAR ID 2008-052A
SATCAT no. 33405
Website www.isro.gov.in/Spacecraft/chandrayaan-1
Mission duration Planned: 2 years
Final: 10 months, 6 days
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass 1,380 kg (3,040 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date 22 October 2008, 00:52 (2008-10-22UTC00:52) UTC
Rocket PSLV-XL C11
Launch site Satish Dhawan Second Pad
Contractor ISRO
End of mission
Last contact 28 August 2009, 20:00 (2009-08-28UTC21) UTC
Orbital parameters
Reference system Selenocentric
Semi-major axis 1,758 kilometers (1,092 mi)
Eccentricity 0.0
Periselene 200 km (120 mi)
Aposelene 200 km (120 mi)
Epoch 19 May 2009
Lunar orbiter
Orbital insertion 8 November 2008
Orbits 3,400 at EOM

Chandrayaan-1 (Sanskrit: चन्द्रयान-१,(Sanskrit: [ t͡ʃʌnd̪ɾʌːjaːn]; lit: Moon vehicleAbout this sound pronunciation ) was India's first lunar probe. It was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation in October 2008, and operated until August 2009. The mission included a lunar orbiter and an impactor. India launched the spacecraft using a PSLV-XL rocket, serial number C11, on 22 October 2008 at 00:52 UTC from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, about 80 km north of Chennai. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee announced the project on course in his Independence Day speech on 15 August 2003. 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 14:36 UTC and struck the south pole in a controlled manner, making India the fourth country to place its flag on the Moon. The probe hit near the crater Shackleton at 15:01 UTC, ejecting sub-surface soil that could be analysed for the presence of lunar water ice.


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