Less than nine months after India’s first lunar satellite Chandrayaan-I was launched in the glare of media flash bulbs, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation announced that the satellite’s ‘star sensors’ – vital in determining the orientation – had failed.
The sensors cannot be recovered at this stage and the remaining part of the two-year mission would be completed in the “gyro mode “The life *of the spacecraft+ is not dependent on this instrument. This instrument is used only for orientation of the spacecraft.” A large number of other factors including fuel and telemetry would also contribute to a successful mission,
“90 to 95 per cent” of the objectives of the lunar mission had been accomplished, including reaching the satellite to a 3.84 lakh km orbit around the moon; capturing images of its terrain and ascertaining its mineral content; and placing the Indian tri-colour on its surface.
Chandrayaan was launched on October 22 carrying 11 payloads (scientific experiments), including the moon impact probe that crash-landed on a designated location near the moon’s South Pole in November. Five payloads were developed by international space agencies, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency.
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