INDIA PROBE TOUCHES MOON SURFACE

The lunar surface viewed by the Moon Impact Probe on its descent

India's first unmanned lunar spacecraft, Chandrayaan 1, has sent a probe on to the surface of the Moon.

The probe, painted with the Indian flag, crashed into the Moon's surface at 1504 GMT, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.

During its controlled plunge, it took readings including measurements of the composition of the Moon's atmosphere.

The mission is regarded as a major step for India as it seeks to keep pace with other space-faring nations in Asia.

Earlier this week Chandrayaan 1 began orbiting the Moon some three weeks after it was launched from a space centre in southern India.

The dropping of the Moon Impact Probe (MIP), weighing about 30kg, concludes the first phase of the mission.

For the next two years, Chandrayaan 1 will map a three-dimensional atlas of the Moon and also check for the presence of water-ice with the help of instruments built by India and other countries including the US, Britain and Germany.

The chairman of India's space programme, Madhavan Nair, has described the mission as 95% successful so far and has announced a second lunar mission to be launched by 2012.

Mr Nair has also said India is considering sending a satellite to Mars.

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