ISRO's 'lost' Chandrayaan-1 spotted orbiting moon by NASA's interplanetary radar

 

India's first lunar mission -- the

Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft

, which was generally considered lost -- is still orbiting the moon, NASA scientists have found with new technological application of interplanetary radar.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

lost communication with Chandrayaan-1

on August 29, 2009, barely a year after it was launched on October 22, 2008.

Chandrayaan-1 is still circling some 200 kilometers above the lunar surface, the scientists determined.

In addition to finding Chandrayaan-1, the scientists also located NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter around the Moon.

"We have been able to detect NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and the Indian Space Research Organisation's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft in lunar orbit with ground-based radar," said Marina Brozovic, a radar scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and principal investigator for the test project.

"Finding LRO was relatively easy, as we were working with the mission's navigators and had precise orbit data where it was located. Finding India's Chandrayaan-1 required a bit more detective work because the last contact with the spacecraft was in August of 2009," Brozovic said in a NASA statement on Thursday.

Finding derelict spacecraft and space debris in Earth's orbit can be a technological challenge.

Detecting these objects in orbit around Earth's Moon is even more difficult.

Optical telescopes are unable to search for small objects hidden in the bright glare of the Moon.

However, with the new technological application of interplanetary radar, the scientists at JPL successfully located the two spacecraft orbiting the Moon.

The researchers believe that the new technique could assist planners of future Moon missions.

Add to the mix that the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft is very small, a cube about 1.5 metres on each side -- about half the size of a smart car.

Although the interplanetary radar has been used to observe small asteroids several million miles from Earth, researchers were not certain that an object of this smaller size as far away as the moon could be detected, even with the world's most powerful radars.

Chandrayaan-1 proved the perfect target for demonstrating the capability of this technique, the researchers said.

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'इस्रो'चे यश चीनला खुपले

नवी दिल्ली - अवकाशात १०४ उपग्रह एकाचवेळी प्रक्षेपित करणे, हे भारताचे यश उल्लेखनीय असले तरी ते मर्यादित आहे, अशी प्रतिक्रिया चीनकडून व्यक्त करण्यात आली आहे. बुधवारी स्वदेशी बनावटीच्या पीएसएलव्ही सी-३७ या प्रक्षेपकाच्या सहाय्याने इस्रोने अवकाशात एकाचवेळी १०४ उपग्रह सोडत विक्रम प्रस्थापित केला होता. आजवर जगातील कोणत्याही देशाला अशी कामगिरी जमलेली नाही. इस्रोने जगभरातील अनेक देशांचे लक्ष या कामगिरीने वेधून घेतले होते. चीनी सरकारकडून चालविण्यात येणाऱ्या 'ग्लोबल टाईम्स' या वृत्तपत्रातून या पार्श्वभूमीवर भाष्य करण्यात आले आहे. एका उड्डाणात १०४ उपग्रह अवकाशात सोडणे, हा भारतीयांच्यादृष्टीने अभिमानाचा क्षण आहे.

मात्र, अंतराळात सोडलेल्या उपग्रहांची संख्या हा यशाचा मापदंड ठरू शकत नसल्यामुळे हे यश मर्यादितच आहे, असे म्हणावे लागेल. भारतातील सामान्य लोकांपेक्षा शास्त्रज्ञांना याची अधिक जाणीव असेल, असे 'ग्लोबल टाईम्स'मधील संपादकीय लेखात म्हटले आहे.

याशिवाय, अमेरिका आणि चीन या देशांशी भारताच्या अंतराळ कार्यक्रमाची तुलना करणाऱ्यांचीही या लेखात खिल्ली उडविण्यात आली आहे. भारत चीनपेक्षा अंतराळात मानवाला पाठविण्याच्याबाबतीत खूपच मागे आहे. भारताने अंतराळ तंत्रज्ञानत केलेली प्रगती ही देशाची प्रतिमा उजळवणारी आहे. शुक्र ग्रहावर यान पाठविण्याची भारताची योजना असल्याच्या अफवा अनेकदा ऐकायला मिळतात. मात्र, भारत या क्षेत्रात अमेरिका आणि चीनपेक्षा खूप पिछाडीवर आहे. व्यापक अंतराळ संशोधनासाठी भारताकडे अजूनपर्यंत संपूर्ण व्यवस्था नाही. भारत अजूनही स्पेस स्टेशन उभारू शकलेला नाही, अशा अनेक बाबींचा या लेखात उल्लेख करण्यात आला आहे. तरीही मर्यादित आर्थिक गुंतवणुकीच्या बळावर भारताने केलेली कामगिरी ही उल्लेखनीय आहे. भारताचे हे यश इतर देशांना विचार करायला लावणारे असल्याचे चीनने म्हटले आहे.

ISRO is Planning to Launch Eight (8) Satellites on One PSLV: Dr. M. Annadurai

ISRO is planning to launch eight micro satellites on a single PSLV in future, said Dr.M. Annadurai, Director, ISRO. He was addressing a session on the topic “Future Satellite Programme” in the plenary of the 103rd Indian Science Congress at the University of Mysore, today.

In this new global era where everything is becoming smaller in size and smarter in application we are also trying to reduce the size of satellites to the extent possible. The vehicle configuration for PSLV of 400km Space Shuttle Orbiter (SSO) is 1200kg. The number of micro satellites that can be carried in single mission is eight, each weighing about 120kg with total payload capacity 960kg, he added.

He pointed to the fact that, present domestic satellite communication is dominated by Fixed Satellite Services and Direct to Home Services and the future service growth areas will be communication satellites for internet, multi-media and personal communication services, direct to home high definition TV services. Apart from that, Thematic missions such as Tele-medicine and Tele-education, bandwidth on demand services, E-Governance, secured communications and satellite aided navigation are expected to grow, he added.

He stressed the need for production of Space Systems to meet the huge demand for satellites and also to strengthen basic Research and Development. This will boost the increased participation of Indian industries in Space Programme in the areas of electronic systems, mechanical systems, assembly, integration and testing of satellites. Focusing on “Make in India” concept for end-to-end production of satellite from industries within the country would help us to achieve further self reliance.

The other resource persons of the plenary talk were Dr. Vinay K Dadhwal who briefed the gathering on the dimensions of Indian Space Programme and outline of Earth Observatory, Dr. S. K. Shivakumar on the topic “Mars Orbiter Mission- overview”, Dr. V. Koteswara Rao on the topic “ASTROSAT- A multi wavelength Space Observatory”and Dr. S Somanath on the topic “ISROs Launch Vehicles- Growth of Capability”. Prof. D N Rao, Chennai, chaired the programme. Delegates, students and participants from various states and countries enthusiastically participated in the session.

[PIB]