CHANDRAYAAN-1 MISSION TERMINATED

The spacecraft was launched on October 22

 The Chandrayaan-1 moon mission has been formally called off, as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has lost radio contact with the craft. There was no possibility of retrieving it, ISRO Chairman Madhavan Nair said.

 A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) of ISRO put Chandrayaan-1 in its initial orbit. The spacecraft carried 11 instruments on board. One of them named the Moon Impact Probe (MIP) “impacted” on the lunar surface on November 14, 2008, signalling India’s success in reaching the moon.

 However, the Chandrayaan-II mission would be on the track as per schedule (2012\13), albeit with “valuable lessons learnt in the Chandrayaan-1 expedition,” Due to very high radiation in the atmosphere, power-supply units controlling both the computer systems on board failed, snapping the communication connectivity. Some devices were more susceptible to radiation and temperature fluctuations, which resulted in the computer power supply being cut. The kind of radiation problem faced was not anticipated,

 Mr. Nair considered the moon mission a success; 95 per cent of its objective was met. “We could collect a large volume of data, including more than 70,000 images of the moon. In that sense, 95 per cent of the objective was completed.”

 India’s Chandrayaan-1 mission, the country’s first effort at deep space exploration, has come to a premature end. Radio contact with the lunar probe was lost 312 days after it travelled into space aboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), data were received from the probe till shortly after midnight on August 29. About an hour later, all communications ceased abruptly.