'Heat stroke' caused India's lunar probe to fail - report
NEW DELHI. September 7. KAZINFORM. India's first lunar mission may have failed as a result of overheating, a national daily reported on Monday; Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.
Chandrayaan-1 was launched in October 2008 and its main mission was conducting geological mapping of the Moon's surface aimed at producing a complete map of the chemical characteristics and 3-D topography. Chandrayaan means Moon Craft in Sanskrit.
In early 2009, the orbiter's two star sensors started malfunctioning and then failed because of high temperatures. The sensors are crucial in determining the orientation of the craft in space.
The project was terminated on August 30, when communication with the spacecraft suddenly failed, although 95% of the scientific aims had been accomplished, according to space officials.
Despite the failure, Chandrayaan-1 managed to transmit excellent images including that of the solar eclipse on July 22; Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru for full version.