It is a matter of pride that the sunrise on the morning of October 22 enabled the launch of the indigenously built space craft called Chandrayaan 1, India’s first ever  lunar  mission put into the orbit by the Indian Space Research Organization’s  (ISRO)’s  scientists and technicians who have been zealously working on the project for several years.

 

Weather conditions over the Sriharikota spaceport were favourable and the launch was possible as scheduled. The 1,380 kg space craft, which is a little heavier than two Maruti cars, was put into orbit by the PSLV-C11 launcher at 6.20 AM from the second launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC). The work of filling of propellant for the first stage of the Polar Launch Vehicle (PLV) was completed and the second stage filling was over soon after that.

The spacecraft is shaped like a cuboid with a solar boom projecting from one of its sides. It will not be an exaggeration to say that with the launch of Chandrayaan, India has entered into the elite lunar club comprising Russia, United States of America (USA), Japan, China and the European Space Agency who have undertaken unmanned exploratory missions to the moon.     

The spacecraft carries 11 payloads and is (at the time this is being written) 75,000 km from the earth and it is the first satellite launched by India which has reached beyond 36,000 km high. It is mandated to accomplish major objectives for preparation of a three dimensional atlas of the lunar surface and chemical mapping of the entire lunar surface. These include a terrain mapping camera, a hyper spectral imager, lunar laser ranging instrument, high energy X-ray spectrometer and a Moon impact probe. The 29 kg moon impact probe incorporates a C –band radar altimeter for continuous measurement of the altitude above the lunar surface and is intended to qualify technologies for future Moon landing missions.

If all goes well after the launch and subsequent stages, Chandrayaan   1 will reach the lunar orbit in the second week of November. The operational phase of the venture will last about two years. But the ISRO is not inclined to sit idle while collecting vital information about the Moon. It is going ahead with the project to undertake a manned flight to the moon by 2015. This second phase of the adventure to the moon has been approved by the Space Commission.  

The Indian scientists have  indeed achieved a  great landmark by the successful launching  of  the unmanned Moon mission at a cost of a mere Rs. 400 crore which is stated be the cheapest  such mission undertaken so far  and which has made the country proud by the successful launch of the spacecraft on board the indigenously built rocket. Now India, a nation with a population of one billion plus and having one of the fastest growing economies in the world, has achieved its growing stature as an emerging space power. Eastern Panorama joins the nation in celebrating the occasion and saluting Dr G Madhavan Nair, Chairman of ISRO, and his dedicated team of scientists and technicians whose untiring efforts have made this possible.

This is a giant step to explore the Moon by the Indian scientific community which must be extended unstained support by the government of India and the political class. The mission, which is being undertaken in the most transparent manner, will encourage even lay persons besides students to develop a scientific temperament which is very much needed in the country.  

But what is significant about India’s maiden venture to the Moon is that apart from enhancing our knowledge about the only satellite of the earth, it will confirm the theory about its origin. The mission is also intended to shed considerable light on the genesis of the planet called the earth and the solar system. The scientific findings will help us in future to manage the planetary resources for the benefit of human beings far better than now. A testimony to India’s scientific prowess, the Chandrayaan is essentially a tribute to the nation’s inherent genius Aryabhatta, the ancient Indian astronomer and mathematician who is credited with the invention of algebra. 

P K Chakravarty