New Delhi: It was November 2008, and cricket fans were ecstatic as Yuvraj Singh dominated the pitch against the England cricket team in Rajkot. With Yuvraj’s exceptional 138 runs off just 78 balls, the ‘Men In Blue’ triumphed over England by 158 runs, igniting nationwide celebrations. However, in Bengaluru, located just over 1600 kilometers away, the atmosphere was tense. While cricket enthusiasts revelled in the victory, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was on the verge of a major development. Amid the cricket fervour, ISRO was contemplating an audacious move intentionally crashing its spacecraft on the Moon, millions of kilometers away.
On October 22, 2008, India embarked on the Chandrayaan mission, showcasing its prowess in conducting missions beyond Earth’s orbit and exploring other celestial bodies. At that time, only four other nations – the US, Russia, Europe, and Japan – had achieved the feat of sending missions to the lunar realm. India proudly became the fifth country to accomplish this remarkable milestone.
Chandrayaan wasn’t just about testing technology; it also made a significant discovery around the Moon. It found water on the lunar surface, making its mark in history. However, there’s more to this mission than what we see. Inside the spacecraft was a 32-kilogram probe with a special purpose to crash. This was the Moon Impact Probe. On the night of November 17, 2008, around 8:06 pm, ISRO engineers in mission control entered the commands to release the Moon Impact Probe. The quiet lunar world was about to experience a big impact.
From an altitude of 100 kilometers above the lunar surface, the impact probe started its final journey.
As the probe began to step away from the Chandrayaan orbiter, its onboard spin-up rockets came to life and began guiding its plunge to the Moon. These engines roared, not to speed it up, but to slow it down, and re-orient it for a pitch-perfect crash. As the spacecraft travelled through the airless world of the Moon, it started seeing what lay below – a bruised, battered world that was about to have one more crater on its face.
