NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had announced on August 15 that India would send an unmanned spacecraft to the moon by 2008. The lunar mission has been named Chandrayan-I. "The main scientific objectives of the Indian lunar mission is preparation of a three dimensional atlas of regions of scientific interest," an official spokesperson told a press conference after the federal cabinet cleared the outlay at a meeting here. "The mission will undertake chemical mapping of the entire surface for elements such as magnesium, aluminum, silicon and titanium and high atomic number elements such as radon, uranium and thorium," the spokesperson said. Several space agencies like the European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, and German Space Agency have expressed interest in participating in the Indian Space Research Organisation's planned mission to the moon, said an official statement. "Depending upon the scientific value, besides their utility in complementing the planned mission, their involvement will be considered," it said. Only three countries have so far sent missions to the moon -- the U.S., Russia and Japan. India has a proven satellite launch vehicle and plans to use a modified version of the same rocket, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, for the lunar mission.
Source: IANS