Chandrayaan-1: ISRO gifts India the moon
14 Nov 2008
Bangalore: The Moon Impact Probe has landed on the moon. Video will be beamed back to ISTRAC once the mother craft, Chandrayaan-1, swings around the moon and begins sending pictures to earth. The 35-kg MIP hit the moon exactly at 8.31 pm IST, about 25 minutes after the probe instrument descended from the satellite.
ISRO has described it as a "perfect operation".
Speaking at an impromptu press conference at the ISTRAC headquarters at Bangalore, an elated ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair, said that with the successful conclusion of the MIP landing, ISRO had "gifted India the moon".
Keeping him company at the press meet was former president and top defence scientist, Dr APJ Kalam.
Nair revealed that ISRO scientists had rehearsed the whole manoeuvre before execution.
He also said some payloads had been switched on and the Chandrayaan had already beamed back "beautiful" pictures of the lunar surface of 5 metres resolution.
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