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Rediff.com  » News » NASA interested in Indian moon mission

NASA interested in Indian moon mission

Source: PTI
February 26, 2005 17:04 IST
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The National Aeronautics Space Agency is in talks with the Indian Space Research Organisation to place its scientific instruments on the Indian spacecraft that will be sent on an unmanned mission to the moon in 2007, ISRO officials said in Bangalore on Saturday.

"We have also got interest from NASA to place their payload in our moon mission," ISRO Satellite Centre Director P S Goel said.

Indian plans to put a 525 kg orbiter using its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, 100 km over the moon.

ISRO had allotted 10 kg and 10 watt of power for space agencies of other nations and had invited bids, which evoked 15 responses from 10 nations including from NASA, Germany, Bulgaria, Britain and Sweden, he said.

Goel said the US space agency was very keen to provide mini-synthetic aperture radar and spectometre with 0.3 micron to 0.9 micron capabilities.

"We have begun discussions with them, but its implementation will depend on the bilateral agreements between India and US," he said.

ISRO had invited presentation on projects from five nations -- US, UK, Germany, Bulgaria and Sweden -- for final approvals in December 2004 at the lunar conference in Udaipur.

Goel said ISRO had selected the Bulgarian payload of radiation monitoring equipment in the spacecraft and two more payloads from European nations.

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