This morning, when most of India dozed off in the comfort of their cots, ISRO scientists at the PSLV slowly took us into the history books. A 44-meter, 316-ton PSLV-11 rocket carrying 1,380-kg Chandaryaan 1, the unmanned Indian lunar orbiter, was set in quest to unravel the hidden mysteries of the moon, from the Satish Dhawan Space Center at Sriharikota at 6:22am IST. In the next 12 days, amid all events, the orbiter will arrive at the desired lunar orbit – putting India in the lunar questers group, and setting on the operational period. Hauling 11 payloads, the Chandaryaan 1 will aspire to explore the moon over the next 2 years.
What’s innovative:
The robotic probe to the moon is India’s grand step forward in its objective to keep pace with the space investigating nations around the world. Chandaryaan 1 is powered by a single solar panel generating a maximum of 700 W. A 36 Ampere-Hour (Ah) Lithium-ion battery powers the spacecraft when the solar panel is not illuminated by the sun.
The main objectives of the Chandaryaan 1 - carrying 11 payloads, of which five were built in India itself, while the other six foreign-built – are: to explore the moon thoroughly, poles included for water, ice on the celestial body, plus search for Helium 3, an isotope in rarity on Earth, but vital for the energy needs of the future. Besides these, the spacecraft with all the high resolution equipment embedded will make all efforts to create a complete map of the moon’s chemical characteristics and its three dimensional topography.
In order to acquaint us, Chandaryaan 1 in due course of the journey, will send all detailed information available, back to Earth through its built-in transmitters, modified into radio waves to the ground antennas. DSN Antennas have been installed at various locations to keep note of the craft’s health and other aspects, while the spacecraft control center will keep it updated with the required chores.
Watch This:
Because India has never gone beyond Earth’s orbit, this mission to space holds precedence, not just for ISRO but for the entire nation. Spending approximately 380-crores for a space mission in a country where millions dwell in extreme poverty seems critical. But when nations follow the policy of limited reveal information – a country like India, that’s knocking on the doors of development, needs to be self equipped and well posted on all technological expertise when it comes to outer space.
Jump down further to see video of the successful launch of Chandaryaan 1.
Via: ISRO
