India launches first moon mission
27 Oct 2008
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Sabina Griffith
An Indian-built launcher carrying a one-and-a-half-tonne satellite blasted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, an island off the coast of Andhra Pradesh, at about 06:20 local time (00:50 GMT) last Wednesday 22 October.
One key objective is to search for surface or sub-surface water-ice on the Moon, especially at the poles.
Another is to detect helium 3, an isotope which is rare on Earth, but is sought to power nuclear fusion and could be a valuable source of energy in future.