ISRO aims to launch Chandrayaan-I sometime this year

ISRO aims to launch Chandrayaan-I sometime this year

Indian space agency ISRO has revealed that they are planning to launch the country’s first unmanned moon mission, Chandrayaan-I sometime later this year.

ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair spoke about their plans: “We are hopeful of launching the spacecraft in the third quarter of 2008-09. The mission would be targeted to capture images of the lunar surface.”

Nair added: “The objectives of the Chandrayaan-I mission are to carry out high resolution mapping of topographic features in 3-D and to harness the science payloads, the lunar craft and the launch vehicle with suitable ground support systems.”

He further said: “It would take at least two years for the spacecraft to cover the entire lunar surface.”

About other ISRO plans, Nair added: “After launching Chandrayaan-I, we are planning to launch a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) with an indigenous cryogenic engine. All preliminary testing has already been completed and it’s expected to be launched by the end of this fiscal.”