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India preparing for un-manned lunar mission

Based on the outcome of a meeting of some members of the country's scientific community in Bangalore in December, the Centre would be approached to take a decision on India's first un-manned lunar mission.

This was stated by Indian Space Research Organisation chairman Dr S Kasturirangan in Nagpur.

He said a committee, comprising of eminent scientists, had already submitted a report on the mission, which would come up for discussion in Bangalore.

The ISRO chief said that the successful launch of a series of geo-synchronous and polar satellite launch vehicles has piloted India into a position to take up a mission to the moon.

ISRO is at present developing a superior version of the GSLV, which would place India in the largest launch vehicle category in the world, he said.

The lunar mission would be undertaken by a PSLV carrying a 500 kg spacecraft and equipped with imagery x-ray and a spectograph to carry out physical, chemical and chronological elements of moon, the senior scientist said. It would explore new regions on the moon and would be on a polar orbit.

PTI

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