Mission Details
| Mission Name: Chandrayaan-1 |
| Mission Type: Lunar Impact |
| Operator: ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) |
| Launching State: India |
| Location: Shackleton Crater (nearby) |
| Latitude: -89.9 |
| Longitude: -30 |
| Launch Date: 22 October 2008, 00:52:11 UT |
| Landing Date: 14 November 2008, 15:01 UT |
| Objects on or Related to Site: Chandrayaan-1 Moon Impact Probe |
| Image Source: NASA |
Description
Chandrayaan-1 was launched to orbit the Moon and to dispatch an impactor to the surface. Scientific goals included the study of the chemical, mineralogical and photogeologic mapping of the Moon. In addition to the five Indian instruments, the spacecraft carried scientific equipment from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, and Bulgaria.
Read more:
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/chandrayaan-1/in-depth/
Heritage Consideration
India’s Chandrayaan-1 played a crucial role in the discovery of water molecules on the Moon. Among its suite of instruments, it carried NASA’s Moon Minerology Mapper (M3), an imaging spectrometer that helped confirm the discovery of water locked in minerals on the Moon. The orbiter also released an impactor that was deliberately crashed into the Moon, releasing debris that was anyalyzed by the orbiting spacecraft’s science instruments.
Object on or Related to Site
| Object Name: Chandrayaan-1 |
| Cospar: 2008-052A |
| Norad: N/A |
| Location: Precise location unknown or undisclosed. |
| Launch Date: 22 October 2008, 00:52 UT |
| Landing Date: 28 August 2009, 20:00 UT |
| Deployment: N/A |
| End Date: N/A |
| Function: Study of the chemical, mineralogical and photogeologic mapping of the Moon. |
| Image Source: NASA |
Description
Chandrayaan 1 is an Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) mission designed to orbit the Moon over a two year period with the objectives of upgrading and testing India’s technological capabilities in space and returning scientific information on the lunar surface.
The spacecraft bus is roughly a 1.5 meter cube with a dry weight of 523 kg (Launch mass of the system, including its Lunar Apogee Motor, LAM, is 1380 kg). It is based on the Kalpansat meteorological satellite. Power is provided by a solar array which generates 750 W and charges lithium ion batteries. A bipropellant propulsion system is used to transfer Chandrayaan-1 into lunar orbit and maintain attitude. The spacecraft is 3-axis stabilized using attitude control thrusters and reaction wheels. Knowledge is provided by star sensors, accelerometers, and an inertial reference unit. Telecommand communications will be in S-band and science data transmission in X-band.
Read more:
https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=2008-052A
Object on or Related to Site
| Object Name: Moon Impact Probe |
| Cospar: 2008-052A |
| Norad: N/A |
| Location: Precise location unknown or undisclosed. |
| Launch Date: 22 October 2008, 00:52 UT |
| Landing Date: 28 August 2009, 20:00 UT |
| Deployment: N/A |
| End Date: N/A |
| Function: Lunar exploration. |
| Image Source: NASA |
Description
Chandrayaan 1 carried a 35 kg Moon Impact Probe (MIP) designed to be released from the spacecraft and hit the lunar surface. The MIP carried a video camera, a radar altimeter, and a mass spectrometer. The side panels of the box-like probe were painted with the Indian flag.
Read more:
https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=2008-052A
