More about Chandrayaan 1′s Space Craft

A landmark day is nearing. Just two days to go for Chandrayaan 1. The space craft of Chandrayaan 1 is cuboid in shape. It’s side is 1.50 metres. It accommodates 11 scientific instruments. It weighs 1304 kilograms at it’s launch and 590 kilograms when it enters the lunar orbit. It is a 3-axis stabilized spacecraft using two star sensors, gyros and four reaction wheels. 

The power generation would be through a canted single-sided solar array to provide required power during all phases of the mission. This deployable solar array consisting of a single panel generates 700W of peak power. Solar array along with yoke would be stowed on the south deck of the spacecraft in the launch phase. During eclipse spacecraft will be powered by Lithium ion (Li-Ion) batteries. 

After deployment the solar panel plane is canted by 30 to the spacecraft pitch axis. 

The spacecraft employs a X-band, 0.7m diameter parabolic antenna for payload data transmission. The antenna employs a dual gimbal mechanism to track the earth station when the spacecraft is in lunar orbit. 

The spacecraft uses a bipropellant integrated propulsion system to reach lunar orbit as well as orbit and attitude maintenance while orbiting the moon. 

The propulsion system carries required propellant for a mission life of 2 years, with adequate margin. The Telemetry, Tracking & Command (TTC) communication is in S-band frequency. The scientific payload data transmission is in X-band frequency. 

On board, the space craft consist of three Solid State Recorders to collect the data. The specific functions of individual SSR’s are:

1. SSR-1 will store science payload data and has capability of storing 32Gb data.
2. SSR-2 will store science payload data along with spacecraft attitude information (gyro and star sensor),  satellite house keeping and other auxiliary data. The storing capacity of SSR-2 is 8Gb.
3. M3 (Moon Mineralogy Mapper) payload has an independent SSR with 10Gb capacity.

If you want to watch demonstration video on Chandrayaan Click here!

Chandrayaan 1 will be launched in October 22

Good news for Indians. Chandrayaan 1 is all set to take off from Indian soil on October 22nd. Five years after Indian Government approved ISRO’s dream ambitious project “Chandrayaan 1″, ISRO announced today that it is ready to launch it. ISRO unveiled Chandrayaan’s space craft which is fully loaded with six indian instruments and five foreign scientific instruments. The space craft will conduct research and analysis for two years in moon. The date may also change according to the results of vibration and acoustic tolerance tests. Mr. Anna Durai, Chandrayaan’s project director said that ” the flesh and bone is ready”. It has passed the thermo vaccum test recently. The launch day can also be changed due to weather conditions. When all the tests are over the space craft and launch vehicle will be shipped to Sriharikotta. PSLV is modified as PSLV XL for this mission. They are closely watching the weather conditions on the Bay of Bengal. The craft takes about eight days to travel 3,86,000 km and to reach its final orbit – 100 above the surface of the moon.

If the launch is interrupted by weather, the launch will be postponed to November or December. The primary aim will be on the search for helium-3. This mission has turned the global interest towards the moon again. It is listed among the 12 highly anticipated science and technology breakthroughs of our world. This mission follows the mission by Japan and China to moon. US and Russia are also planning moon missions.

Jai…Hind…. I will be the Senior ISRO Scientist in years to come….

Chandrayaan-2 gets Cabinet Approval

As space scientists prepare for India’s maiden moon odyssey, the government on Thursday approved another lunar mission which entails landing a rover on the earth’s natural satellite.

The Union Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, gave the nod to Chandrayaan-II which is to be an Indo-Russian mission with a projected launch in 2011-12.

The Cabinet also approved upgrading the associated existing ground segment at a total cost of Rs 425 crore including a foreign exchange component of Rs 293.50 crore, Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi told reporters in New Delhi.

Scientists are planning to land a rover on the moon for carrying out chemical analysis of the lunar surface and explore other resources there.

“In situ chemical analysis and resource exploration is the main objective of Chandrayaan-II,” a scientist associated with the mission said.

India had begun initial technical discussions on Chandrayaan-II which is expected to be a much shorter mission than Chandrayaan-I scheduled for launch later this year.

An agreement for Chandrayaan-II was signed by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Roskosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Moscow in November last year.

Mineral samples from the moon contained Helium 3, a variant of the gas used in refrigerators, and Chandrayaan-II will also look out for the gas which experts believe may offer a solution to energy shortages. The current Chinese moon mission is also exploring this prized source of energy.

Countdown to Chandrayaan 1 begins!

Wrapped in a golden foil are India’s space dreams, waiting to take off. Chandrayaan, that literally means a vehicle to the Moon is s a first for India. Engineers from the ISRO are busy giving final touches to the satellite that is carrying scientific instruments from India and abroad to map the moon resources like never before.

NDTV was given very rare access to the high tech clean room where the satellite awaits launch.

M. Annadurai, Project Director, Chandrayaan-1, says: “The spacecraft is fully ready, integragetd, tested and the fully dressed up baby. The Chandrayyan is raring to go all the way to the Moon for exploration and the whole team is fully charged, anxious, a bit nervous. And weather Gods permitting, we will be able to put the space craft around the Moon at the end of October.”

Chandrayaan-1 is an unmanned satellite that will be launched using India’s tried and tested rocket the polar satellite launch vehicle, or PSLV.

The journey to Moon will take 5 and half days. In its two-year life, the satellite will also search for water on the Moon.

While also attempting to place the Tricolour on the surface of the Moon that would bring India into a league of its own.

A few more tests, and Chandrayaan-1 will begin its lunar journey.

The launch of Chandrayaan will hail India’s arrival as an important regional power with big dreams since missions to study Mars, and the Sun are already planned ISRO then hopes at putting an Indian in space on an Indian rocket very soon.

I hope that this will establish India as a major space power! Vazthukall!!…

Chandrayaan-I passes endurance test

The lunar craft to be used in India’s first unmanned mission to the moon, Chanrayaan-I, successfully passed a test for its endurance in harsh space environment, crossing a major milestone in preparation for the odyssey expected some time next month.

The two week vacuum test to evaluate the thermal design of the space craft and to verify its endurance in the harsh environment of space has just been completed at the ISRO satellite centre here, sources in the space agency said. “The test was satisfactory,” an senior ISRO official told on Thursday.

All the best for the Scientist team!.. Make India Proud…