India has now succesfully joined the all too small group of countries who have sent scientific missions beyond low Earth orbit. Launched at 0052 GMT, Oct. 22, Chandrayaan-1 carries with it 11 scientific experiments including three from the European Space Agency, two from NASA, and one from Bulgaria.
Chandrayaan-1 will map the surface of the Moon, determine its mineralogy content, and land a small impact probe which will "give ISRO [Indian Space Research Organization] scientists experience to be used in subsequent lunar landing missions."
The mission cost a relatively minuscule $86m for a mission that is a small step forward in humanity's eventual colonization of the Moon and is a well-deserved source of pride for an important, developing country.
<Space.com Article>
<Moon Daily Article>
<Variety SF Article>
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