Failure of key unit could have led to Chandrayaan-1 end

Bangalore, Sept 7 (PTI) It was the failure of "heart" of
the lunar craft, the bus management unit that performed vital
control functions, which probably led to premature end of the
country's ambitious maiden moon mission -- Chandrayaan-1.

"Bus management unit is like heart of the satellite. It
controls everything," an Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) official said, adding its failure might have led to
snapping of radio link with the space craft leading to its
premature end.

Indian Space Research Organisation terminated the
odyssey on August 30 after it failed to re-establish contact,
lost the previous day, with the lunar craft.

But it has now emerged that the second (redundant) bus
management unit, which ISRO was using after the first one
failed within a few weeks of the mission launched on October
22 last year, stopped functioning resulting in loss of contact
with the spacecraft, officials said.

ISRO has come under criticism from some quarters over
late acknowledgement of setbacks in the mission. For example,
the failure of the first bus management unit was made public
by the space agency only in July this year, even though it
took place late last year.

And on April 26, the on board star sensor used for
determining the orientation of the spacecraft started
malfunctioning, a snag which ISRO disclosed less than two
months ago. (MORE) PTI