7. Chandrayaan - 1

On \(October\ 22,\ 2008\), India launched the moon vehicle, Chandrayaan-1 satellite, to investigate the Moon. The satellite was launched using Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket from the Sathish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. On \(November\ 8,\ 2008\), Chandrayaan-1 was launched into lunar orbit.

 

 

Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft that circled around the Moon at the height of \(100\ kilometres\) gathered knowledge on the moon's chemical, mineralogical, and geological properties. This mission provided a significant boost to India's space programmes, allowing it to develop its own technologies for lunar exploration. Chandrayaan-1 was in orbit for \(312\) days and successfully met \(95%\) of its objectives.

 

On \(August 28,\ 2009\), the scientists lost contact with the spacecraft. The mission came to an end when all of its objectives were completed successfully.

The mission's goals for Chandrayaan-1 were as follows:
• To check and detect the presence of water on the moon.
• To locate the elements of matter.
• To look for evidence of helium-3.
• To build moon's three-dimensional atlas.
• To learn about the solar system's evolution.

The accomplishments of the Chandrayaan-1 project are listed below.
• Existence of water molecules in lunar soil was discovered.
• The spacecraft verified that the moon was once fully molten.
• Photographs of the landing site of the US spacecraft Apollo-15 and Apollo-11 have been captured.
• The X-ray camera detected the presence of aluminium, magnesium, and silicon on the moon's surface. The satellite also provided high-resolution spectral data on the moon's mineralogy.
• The Chandrayaan-1 camera has transmitted over \(40,000\) pictures in \(75\) days.
• Photographs of peaks and craters obtained by the satellite indicate that the moon is largely made up of craters.