Lawmakers, citizens are jubilant over successful launch of Chandrayaan-1

New Delhi, Oct 22 (ANI): The lawmakers and citizens today felt proud and hailed scientists for the successful launch of Chandrayaan-1.

Lawmakers while talking to reporters here congratulated the scientists who were involved in the project.

"We are extremely happy with the success reached in this milestone space programme .We warmly congratulate all the scientists and everybody who was involved in the project," said Brinda Karat, Politbureau Member Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Union Minister for Science and Technology Kapil Sibal said that it's a historic achievement for the country and everybody should be proud of it.

" It has proved that India can attain levels of excellence that can match anywhere else in the world as long as we put our minds to it," said Sibal.

For many proud Indians, the launch is another notch in the country's global ambitions.

"I believe that launch vehicle that India has sent to the moon will definitely help our country to develop. This has brought India in the list of elite nations," said Vikas Goyal, a resident.

"What I think about the spacecraft going on then moon, its like India is developing these days. And the technology is very nice," added Rahul Aggarwal, another local.

According to scientists at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), it was a 'normal' liftoff.

The spacecraft is carrying eleven payloads (scientific instruments) and weighs about 1,380 kg at the time of its launch. It was shaped like a cuboid with the solar panel projecting from one of its sides.

Of the eleven payloads, five are entirely designed and developed in India, three from European Space Agency, one from Bulgaria and two from the US.

Chandrayaan-1 would put India in the elite lunar club comprising Russia, US, Japan, China and European Space Agency, who had undertaken unmanned exploratory missions to the moon.

The mission intends to put an unmanned spacecraft into an orbit around the moon and to perform remote sensing of the nearest celestial neighbour for about two years with eleven payloads.

It would reach the moon surface after five and half days. Later, the moon impact probe would be ejected from Chandrayaan-1 to hit the moon surface in a chosen area.

Chandrayaan-1 satellite would orbit the Moon at an altitude of 100 km mapping the topography and the mineralogical content of the lunar soil. It is also carry a Moon Impact Probe payload for demonstrating the technology needed towards landing on the Moon's surface.

India believes the Rs 386-crore lunar mission is a step towards its quest for exploration of outer space and inter-planetary missions. (ANI)