The spacecraft was launched using India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. It was designed to orbit the moon at an altitude of 100 kilometers and carry out scientific experiments using its onboard instruments.
Chandrayaan-1 was equipped with eleven scientific instruments, including a high-resolution camera, a spectrometer, a radiometer, and a radar, among others. These instruments were designed to study the moon's surface features, the presence of water and minerals, and to map the topography of the moon's surface.
The mission was highly successful and achieved several significant milestones. One of the major achievements of the mission was the discovery of water molecules on the moon's surface, which was a significant breakthrough in the field of lunar research. The Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3), one of the scientific instruments onboard the spacecraft, detected water molecules on the moon's surface, indicating the presence of water on the moon.
Another significant achievement of the mission was the production of the first-ever 3D map of the moon's surface. The Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument (LLRI) onboard the spacecraft was used to map the moon's surface and produce a high-resolution 3D map of the moon's terrain.
The mission also provided valuable data on the moon's topography, surface temperature, and the presence of various minerals. This data was used to gain a better understanding of the moon's formation and evolution.
The mission was also notable for its cost-effectiveness, with the total cost of the mission estimated to be around $80 million, making it one of the most cost-effective lunar missions to date.
Also Read: Chandrayaan-2
Also Read: Chandrayaan-3
