Indian spacecraft enters lunar orbit
Posted: Sat, Nov 8, 2008, 2:40 PM ET (1940 GMT)
India's first lunar mission successfully entered orbit around the Moon on Saturday. Chandrayaan-1 fired its main engine for 817 seconds at 6:21 am EST (1121 GMT, 4:51 pm Indian time) Saturday, moving the spacecraft from a lunar transfer trajectory into an elliptical orbit around the Moon. The spacecraft is currently in an orbit of 504 by 7,502 kilometers, but will eventually maneuver into a 100-kilometer circular orbit. Chandrayaan-1 was launched October 22 into Earth orbit, and gradually raised its apogee until it moved into a transfer trajectory. The spacecraft, India's first mission beyond Earth orbit, carries a suite of instruments from India, Europe, and the United States, as well as an impactor probe that will be fired towards the surface once the spacecraft is in its final orbit.
India's first lunar mission successfully entered orbit around the Moon on Saturday. Chandrayaan-1 fired its main engine for 817 seconds at 6:21 am EST (1121 GMT, 4:51 pm Indian time) Saturday, moving the spacecraft from a lunar transfer trajectory into an elliptical orbit around the Moon. The spacecraft is currently in an orbit of 504 by 7,502 kilometers, but will eventually maneuver into a 100-kilometer circular orbit. Chandrayaan-1 was launched October 22 into Earth orbit, and gradually raised its apogee until it moved into a transfer trajectory. The spacecraft, India's first mission beyond Earth orbit, carries a suite of instruments from India, Europe, and the United States, as well as an impactor probe that will be fired towards the surface once the spacecraft is in its final orbit.| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Vast signs contract with SpaceX for ISS private astronaut missions
Posted: Sat, Dec 21 11:59 AM ET (1659 GMT) Avio signs ESA contracts for Vega upgrades and Earth science satellite launch
Posted: Sat, Dec 21 11:57 AM ET (1657 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Friday, December 27
Space industrial base racing to meet growing demand for military satellites
Defensescoop — 7:42 am ET (1242 GMT) Satellite bailout leaves Britain nursing losses as shares plunge to record low
The Daily Telegraph — 7:41 am ET (1241 GMT) SpaceX will be a better $1 trln bet than Tesla
Reuters — 7:36 am ET (1236 GMT) From new commercial Moon landers to asteroid investigations, expect a slate of exciting space missions in 2025
The Conversation — 7:35 am ET (1235 GMT) A Silk Road in Space: China’s Space Plan for 2050
The Wire — 7:34 am ET (1234 GMT) |
