India launches Moon mission
India has successfully launched its first moon mission
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Wednesday, 22, Oct 2008 09:25
India has successfully launched its first space mission to the Moon today.
The unmanned Chandrayaan 1 spacecraft lifted off from the Sriharikota space centre at 06:20 local time (00:50 BST) on Wednesday morning in a two-year mission aimed at laying the groundwork for further Indian space expeditions.
"This is a historic moment for India," Indian Space Research Organisation chairman G Madhavan Nair said.
"We have started our journey to the Moon and the first leg has gone perfectly well," adding that it was hoped they would "unravel the mystery of the moon."
One of the mission's main goals is to compile a 3-D map of the lunar surface and the distribution of elements and minerals across the planet.
The space probe will also search for surface or sub-surface water-ice on the Moon, especially at its poles.