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Bangalore, Nov 4 (ANI): Chandrayaan-1, India’’s spacecraft mission to moon has entered the Lunar Transfer Trajectory after the fifth and final orbit raising manoeuvre was carried out on Tuesday morning
According to ISRO spokesperson S Satish, “Chandrayaan-1 has entered the lunar transfer trajectory and is heading to an apogee of 3,80,000 KM, expected to happen on Saturday evening, the time at which the lunar orbit insertion manoeuvres are planned to be carried out.”
During this manoeuvre the spacecraft’’s 440 Newton liquid engine was fired for 145 seconds.
This has resulted in taking the sidelight to the distance of 3, 80,000 km from earth. Earlier, the distance from earth was 2, 67,000 k.m.
ISRO said the spacecraft is being continuously monitored from the Spacecraft Control Centre at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bangalore with support from Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) antennas at Byalalu on the city outskirts. Since its launch on October 22 by PSLV-C11, all systems onboard Chandrayaan-I spacecraft are performing normally.
The spacecraft is carrying eleven payloads (scientific instruments) and weighs about 1,380 kg at the time of its launch. It was shaped like a cuboid with the solar panel projecting from one of its sides.
Of the eleven payloads, five are entirely designed and developed in India, three from European Space Agency, one from Bulgaria and two from the US.
Chandrayaan-1 would put India in the elite lunar club comprising Russia, US, Japan, China and European Space Agency, who had undertaken unmanned exploratory missions to the moon.
The mission intends to put an unmanned spacecraft into an orbit around the moon and to perform remote sensing of the nearest celestial neighbour for about two years with eleven payloads.
Chandrayaan-I would approach the Moon on November 8 and the spacecraft’’s liquid engine would be fired again to insert the spacecraft into lunar orbit. (ANI)