⚡ Quick Summary
India launched its first lunar probe, Chandrayaan-1, on October 22, 2008, at 00:52 UTC on a PSLV-XL rocket from Sriharikota. Thursday, October 22, 2026 is the 18th anniversary. The orbiter reached lunar orbit in November 2008, released a Moon Impact Probe on November 14, and lost contact on August 28, 2009, after 312 days, against a planned two years. Research cutoff: October 15, 2026.
Eighteen years ago India sent its first spacecraft to the Moon. This article explains what Chandrayaan-1 was, how the mission unfolded and why it still matters. It is a historical explainer written a week before the anniversary, and the facts come from Wikipedia's mission summary, a secondary source, which itself contains a few internal inconsistencies that we flag below. Readers who need exact technical figures should consult the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) directly.
Launch Facts at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Launch | October 22, 2008, 00:52 UTC |
| Rocket | PSLV-XL (C11) |
| Launch site | Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh |
| Launch mass | 1,380 kg |
| Mass in lunar orbit | 675 kg |
| Lunar orbit insertion | About November 8, 2008 |
| Final 100 km orbit | November 12, 2008 |
| Moon Impact Probe | Separated and struck the surface on November 14, 2008 |
| Last contact | About August 28, 2009 |
| Reported cost | ₹386 crore (about US$88.7 million) |
The launch time is in UTC. Indian Standard Time is 5 hours 30 minutes ahead, so the lift-off was in the early morning of October 22, 2008 in India.
What the Mission Was
Chandrayaan-1 was an orbiter. Its job was to circle the Moon and study its surface from about 100 km up, mapping minerals and chemical makeup. It also carried a small impactor, the Moon Impact Probe, which separated from the orbiter and was deliberately crashed into the lunar surface to collect data on the way down.
Wikipedia states that six of the eleven payloads came from other agencies. These included the C1XS X-ray spectrometer, developed with the UK's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, the European Space Agency and ISRO; ESA's SIR-2 and SARA instruments; NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) and a NASA-led Mini-SAR radar; and Bulgaria's RADOM radiation monitor. This international mix was unusual for a first deep-space mission.
How the Mission Unfolded
From Earth to the Moon
After launch, the spacecraft raised its orbit in stages, then was captured by the Moon's gravity. Lunar orbit insertion was completed on November 8, 2008, and the final 100 km orbit was reached on November 12.
The Moon Impact Probe
The Moon Impact Probe separated on November 14, 2008, and struck the lunar south polar region near the Shackleton crater at about 15:01 UTC. The separation time differs between two places in the Wikipedia article, 14:30 and 14:36 UTC, so we do not state a precise minute.
The Search for Water
NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper detected absorption features consistent with hydroxyl or water-bearing materials. Its findings were published in the journal Science on September 24, 2009. ISRO announced on September 25, 2009 that the Moon Impact Probe had detected water just before impact, about three months earlier than the M3 announcement. M3 data were reanalysed in 2018, and the reanalysis was reported to confirm water in shaded polar crater regions.
"Water" here does not mean lakes or ice sheets. The detection refers to hydroxyl or water molecules bound in or on lunar soil, usually in small quantities. Scientists continue to study how much exists and where.
Why the Mission Ended Early
Contact with the spacecraft was lost at about 20:00 UTC on August 28, 2009. Chandrayaan-1 had operated for 312 days, against a planned two years. The mission has nevertheless been widely regarded as a success because it met most of its objectives, and its data gave a place to the discovery that the Moon holds water-related molecules.
Why It Still Matters
Chandrayaan-1 put India among the countries that had reached lunar orbit and showed that a modest, internationally shared mission could return headline science. Later Indian lunar missions built on that experience, and the country's space programme remains an active topic. We do not cover later missions here, because we have not verified their details for this article.
Source Inconsistencies
Wikipedia, our source, is not fully consistent. It gives two separation times for the impactor, mentions a November 18 release in a different section that conflicts with the November 14 date, and gives the scientific payload as 90 kg in the text and 105 kg in the infobox. We have used the figures that appear most consistently and avoided the contradictory ones.
Practical Details to Check
- Anniversary day: October 22, 2026 is a Thursday. It is not a public holiday.
- Official sources: ISRO's website carries the mission record.
- Context: see our October 22 date overview for other events on the day.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Chandrayaan-1 launched?
On October 22, 2008, at 00:52 UTC, from Sriharikota on a PSLV-XL rocket.
Which anniversary is it in 2026?
The 18th.
Did Chandrayaan-1 find water?
NASA's M3 instrument and ISRO's impact probe both reported detections of water-related molecules in 2009. The findings concern small amounts bound in lunar material.
Why did the mission end after 312 days?
Contact was lost on August 28, 2009. The source we read does not give the cause, so we do not speculate.
Conclusion
Chandrayaan-1 remains a landmark in Indian science. If you enjoy mission anniversaries, read our piece on the Chandrasekhar limit, and return to our October 22 overview for the day's wider calendar.
