Indian Moon

After 312 days, India has lost contact with its lunar probe orbiting the moon. It was slated for a two-year mission, but it seems the lunar probe has given out on the shorter end of its lifespan.

The Indian Space Research Organization currently has no means to locate Chandrayaan-I, which can float in space like a dead satellite for 1,000 more days before crashing on the lunar surface, said S. Satish, a spokesman for the agency.

"We are exploring the possibility of making a request to the United States and Russia to help locate it since they have powerful radars," Satish said.

The space agency blames system failures on Chandrayaan-I for the abrupt loss of contact Saturday.

Chandrayaan-I was originally expected to stay in orbit for two years, but Satish said that was a stretch.

"That probably was a mistake because such craft do not have this much life," he said.

However, the mission had met most of its scientific objectives by providing "large volume of data," the space agency said.

Still, it's good to see countries like India having a space program, even if it's only a small one. Were it that America was still excited about space...