ISRO terminates Chandrayaan-1 moon mission

India's maiden Rs 400 crore moon mission Chandrayaan-1 was terminated on Sunday, about one year before the odyssey's expected end, after ISRO failed to restore the snapped communication link with the unmanned spacecraft.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) while announcing that the planned two-year lunar mission, launched amid a national euphoria on 22nd October last year, has been formally called off said it would set up a high level committee to probe the abrupt end.

The mission was abandoned early on Saturday shortly after radio contact with the craft was abruptly lost at 0130 HRS.

ISRO tried to send the commands but the space vehicle was not able to respond. The power signals which go to the computer systems failed.

ISRO scientists said the spacecraft is 200 kms away from the moon and it will take 1,000 days to hit the lunar surface.

Nair said ISRO is constantly in touch with the international partners of Chandrayaan-I and are very much happy with the data collected during the mission.