India Places First Moon Mission into Lunar Transfer Orbit

摘要

India's first space mission beyond Earth orbit was launched successfully Oct. 22 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 1,380-kilogram 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 100-kilometer 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 255 kilometers and an apogee of 22,860 kilometers.