Laser Instrument on Chandrayaan-1 Successfully Turned On

16 November 2008

ISRO successfully switched on the Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument (LLRI) on 16 November 2008. Developed by ISRO's Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems in Bangalore, the LLRI sends pulses of infrared laser light towards the lunar surface and detects the reflected portion to precisely measure the height of surface topography.

Operating continuously, it collected 10 measurements per second on both the day and night sides of the Moon, building a detailed topographic profile and, together with the Terrain Mapping Camera, improving understanding of the lunar gravitational field. Read more on the LLRI payload page.

Source: Wikipedia — Chandrayaan-1