The Indian lunar probe will map and study its mineral dimensional

New Delhi, October 22, 2008. - India clinched their march today in the space race with the successful launch of its first lunar probe, the Chandrayaan 1, which will map three-dimensional satellite and explore its minerals.
The launch took place at 06.20 am local time (00.50 GMT) from the facilities that the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has on the southern island of Sriharikota, located in the Bay of Bengal.
The Chandrayaan vehicle blasted off on a polar satellite launch (PSLV, acronym in English) and it took 18 minutes to orbit the Earth as planned and despite the heavy rains of recent days.
The cameras captured the moment when the rocket rose with a trail of fire and dense white smoke, before disappearing into the sky, while a thousand scientists of ISRO, also dressed in white, clapped and hugged each other full of satisfaction .
"The launch went perfectly. The spacecraft will reach lunar orbit on 8 November and will begin his work there, "he told Efe by telephone a spokesman for the organization.
With the launch of Chandrayaan ("moon vehicle"), India joins the club of powers with the satellite missions, composed of Russia (former USSR), United States, the European Space Agency, China and Japan.
"The successful launch of Chandrayaan 1 aircraft marks the first step in what we hope will be a historical milestone for Indian space program," after the launch welcomed the prime minister, Manmohan Singh said in a statement.
At a cost of 3,860 million rupees (about $ 78 million), the probe travels to the moon and equipped with eleven scientific instruments that will serve to map three-dimensional satellite and study its geological composition.
The Chandrayaan 1 will orbit 100 kilometers from the satellite for two years, although one of the most special moments will occur Nov. 15: at that time, the probe will drop a Moon Impact device with the Indian tricolor.
The launch was greeted with jubilation by the science sector and the media, and ISRO soon received the congratulations of the top political leadership, as president, Pratibha Patil, or the prime minister himself.
Indian media have labeled the Chandrayaan as a "great leap forward" and "Moon Yatra" (lunar voyage) has reaffirmed the traditional strength of the Indian aerospace industry, which already had to his credit with the release of several foreign satellites.
In September 2007, the Indian space agency announced plans to build a "constellation" of seven geostationary satellites worth $ 395 million (290 million) through 2012.
In addition, the Chandrayaan is only a first step in the plans of ISRO, which plans to send two Indians into space and later, back in 2025, making it possible for another of his compatriots step the lunar soil, a spokesman for the organization.
"We are planning to bring two people into space in our first manned mission. The project is approved by the Commission space at a cost of 2,440 million dollars ", said the agency IANS India's ISRO chairman, G. Madhavan Nair.
From modest origins, the aerospace industry in India has been in recent decades one of the bets on the developmental momentum of the country, combining the satellite launch by the existence of hundreds of millions of poor.
Scientists hope that this first trip to the moon India's sixty-eighth issue of the satellite-contribution earthlings scientific benefits immediate and tangible effects have other long-term economic and strategic policy of the country.
"The mission will put India on the world map of cooperation in space technology. And it strengthens our resolve to use strategies in the fight against poverty and illiteracy, "he told IANS scientist and Senator K. Kasturirangan.
To fulfill this strategic purpose or not, so far scientists, politicians and Indian media have endorsed the words of the Chandrayaan project director, Mylswamy Annadurai: "Our baby gear on the way to the Moon."

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