Chandrayaan-1
Chandrayaan-1 was India's historic first deep space mission. Operating 11 scientific payloads from ISRO, NASA, and ESA, it carried the Moon Impact Probe (MIP) which separated on November 14, 2008, striking the lunar south pole near Shackleton crater (named Jawahar Point). The NASA Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) aboard confirmed the widespread presence of hydroxyl and water molecules across the lunar regolith, overturning decades of assumptions that the Moon was bone-dry.
Mission Imagery & Gallery
Primary Achievement
India's first lunar mission; its Moon Impact Probe impacted Jawahar Point and Moon Mineralogy Mapper confirmed widespread water molecules on the Moon.
Mission Objectives
- Search for surface and subsurface water ice, particularly in permanently shadowed polar craters
- Execute Moon Impact Probe (MIP) release and telemetry transmission down to impact
- Perform high-resolution chemical and mineralogical mapping of the entire lunar surface
Timeline Events
- 2008-10-22 — Launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikota aboard PSLV-C11.
- 2008-11-08 — Inserted into polar lunar orbit at 100 km altitude.
- 2008-11-14 — Moon Impact Probe (MIP) separated and struck Jawahar Point at 89.55°S, detecting water vapor in transit.
- 2009-09-24 — Science team and NASA formally announced confirmed discovery of water molecules on the Moon.
Related Missions
- Chandrayaan-2 (2019) · ISRO
- Chandrayaan-3 (2023) · India
- LCROSS (2009) · NASA
Historical & Technical Sources
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