Indian Moon Mission To Launch Next Month

Anil Kandangath writes with word that the Indian moon mission plans (mentioned earlier on Slashdot) are about to be put to the test. "While the spacecraft itself will not land on the Moon, it will act as an orbiter and land a rover on the surface. The spacecraft is being launched next month sometime between October 22 and October 26. The spacecraft payload includes 11 payloads (including one from NASA) and will perform remote sensing and studies of the lunar surface. The mission is estimated to cost Rs 386 crore (~ 84.3 million USD)." Update: 09/21 18:29 GMT by T : Thanks to reader Anil Gaddam for pointing out that this figure had been originally misstated as 7.7 million USD.

Not that cheap

[ObsessiveMathsFreak]

The cost will not come within an asses' roar of 7.7 million USD. India is cheap, but not THAT cheap. 77 million USD, maybe. Perhaps if you factor out the cost of scientists and administrative staff already employed by the ISRO, and maintenance costs of existing facilities, and basically count only the cost of the rocket and parts, then maybe you'll come up with a 7.7 million USD bill. Otherwise I think someone forgot a decimal point somewhere.

Don't ask stupid questions

[Anonymous Coward]

if you don't like the replies, okay?

Why so cheap?

[shady2]

1 A shuttle mission costs about $450M. If India can get to the moon for $7.7M we should outsource the whole space program 2 Question: It India rigged this for sub-orbital flight would in be able to carry a nuclear payload? Do we need to be (re)starting the cold war on THREE fronts? Russia, China (also launching) and now India.