After repeated delays, India's first unmanned mission to the Moon-- Chandrayaan-1-- will be launched on October 22 from the spaceport at Sriharikota, Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) sources said today.
The sources said weather conditions permitting the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C11) carrying the Chandrayaan-1 satellite will blast off at 6.20 AM, the sources taold PTI. The Rs 386-crore lunar mission was cleared by the Government five years back but the historic launch faced several delays.
The space odyssey moved one more step closer to fruition when the satellite was transported from here to Sriharikota in a special vehicle last week and has since reached the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in the coastal town, about 100 km from Chennai.
The spacecraft is expected to be mated with ISRO's work-horse rocket,PSLV-C11 later this week, the sources said.
The spacecraft would carry 11 payloads -- five from India and six from the US, Europe and Bulgaria.
It would orbit the Moon at an altitude of 100 km mapping the topography and the mineralogical content of the lunar soil.
Chandrayaan-1 would also carry a Moon Impact Probe payload for demonstrating the technology needed towards landing on the Moon's surface.
India believes the lunar mission is a step towards its quest for exploration of outer space and inter-planetary missions.
Source : PTI
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