Space News March 1, 2004: "India Advances Lunar Mission Launch to 2007

By: K.S. Jayaraman
Space News Correspondent

Encouraged by the rapid pace of progress to date on its planned $100 million lunar orbiter mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has moved the launch date for the robotic probe up by one year.
Originally scheduled to launch in 2008, the Chandrayaan-1 mission now could lift off in 2007 or even earlier, according to ISRO Chairman Gopalan Madhavan Nair. Searching for potential deposits of Helium-3 -- envisioned as a fuel for future fusion reactors -- is one of the key objectives of the mission, Nair added during a speech Feb. 17 here at the 13th National Space Science Symposium."
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