Former president A P J Abdul Kalam on Chandrayaan-I

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Hyderabad: Former president A P J Abdul Kalam on Tuesday said the launch of India's maiden unmanned Moon Mission was a great event for the country.

"What I am looking for is a great event. It is a very important day. India lacks payload and it is going to land its payload on the moon," he said during a brief chat with reporters on the sidelines of the first world congress on disaster management here.

"It will take eight to 10 days (for landing of payload on moon)," he added.
"If weather permits, definitely our ISRO friends will launch it tomorrow (Wednesday)," Kalam said.

He said earth, moon and mars would be considered as a single complex in future. "It has economic importance and strategic importance," he said.

The spacecraft will be carrying 11 scientific payloads, weighing 80 kg. It was at the instance of Abdul Kalam that a 29 kg moon impact probe, an Indian payload, was loaded. The probe is expected to identify future landing sites and explore the moon from close range.

Chandrayaan-1 will be launched by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota on Wednesday.