Chandrayaan-I passes thermal vacuum test

Bangalore, Sept 11 (PTI) The Chandrayaan-I satellite has
successfully undergone the thermal vacuum test even as Indian
space scientists achieved a major milestone inching closer to
the country's first mission to the moon.

A formal announcement on the date of the eagerly awaited
launch is expected to be made by Chairman of the
Bangalore-headquartered Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) G Madhavan Nair next week.

The two-week vacuum test to evaluate the thermal design of
the spacecraft and to verify its endurance in the harsh
environment of space, has just been completed at I.S.R.O.
Satellite Centre here, sources in the space agency said.

"The test was satisfactory," an ISRO official told P.T.I.
Thursday. "Environment and accoustics tests will follow, and
the pre-shipment review is expected by this month-end".

The ambitious moon mission is slated for second half of
October. An ISRO official said on condition of anonymity that
the first available date is October 22, and the launch window
has been fixed between October 22 and 26.

ISRO officials said it's an "exceptional example" of
international collaboration towards exploring the moon.

The nearly 1,400 kg Chandrayaan-I satellite would be
launched by the 316-tonne Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
(PSLV-XL) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at the spaceport of
Sriharikota.

There are six scientific payloads from NASA, ESA and
Bulgaria in addition to the five Indian instruments onboard
Chandrayaan-I.

The Chandrayaan-I spacecraft would be in a 100 km polar
orbit around the moon.

ISRO officials say the mission is aimed at high-resolution
remote sensing of the lunar surface and preparation of a
three-dimensional atlas of both the near and far sides of the
moon besides conduction of chemical and mineralogical mapping
of the lunar surface, among others.

Experts believe India's first planetary science and
exploration mission is unique.

"It's going to be very unique," former ISRO Chairman K
Kasturirangan said, noting that the mission carries 11
instruments whose measurements would be "more contemporary
than ever before" as new technologies have been incorporated.

The mission would throw more light on the physical,
chemical and chronological aspects vis-a-vis moon as well as
availability of water, he said. "Water is a contentious issue.
For any human settlement -- exploration and exploitation --
presence of water is going to be critical".

Kasturirangan said the polar region of the moon has not
been investigated as much as the equatorial one.

According to him, the fundamental question of origin and
evolution of the moon has not been settled to any satisfactory
level.

"Our present knowledge only touches the tip of the iceberg.
Chandrayaan-I would make a big headway in our understanding of
the moon," he said.