By Peter B. de SeldingSpace News Staff Writerposted: 22 October 2008
PARIS - India's first space mission beyond Earth orbit was launched successfully Wednesday (Local Time) when an upgraded version of India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) placed the Chandrayaan-1 lunar orbiter into an elliptical transfer orbit, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) announced.
The 3,042-pound (1,380-kg) Chandrayaan-1, carrying 11 experiments including three from the European Space Agency, two from NASA and one from Bulgaria, is expected to fire its onboard liquid motor in a series of maneuvers intended to place it into a 62-mile (100-km) altitude orbit above the Moon's surface by Nov. 8.
In addition to 11 instruments designed to map the lunar surface and determine its mineral content, the satellite includes the small Moon Impact Probe, which will be jettisoned from the satellite to land on the lunar surface before the main mapping mission begins. The probe will give ISRO scientists experience to be used in subsequent lunar landing missions.
In its 14th launch since 1993, the four-stage PSLV rocket lifted off early Oct. 22 from India's Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, placing Chandrayaan-1 into an elliptical orbit with a perigee of 158 miles (255 km) and an apogee of 14,204 miles (22,860 km)...
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