Bangalore: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is now better poised to undertake its prided lunar mission after it successfully placed a geo-stationary satellite onboard a modified Polar Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

ISRO sources said that the space scientists planning the lunar mission by year 2007 were specially in a positive frame of mind, as the lunar mission too would be launched with a modified PSLV rocket.

The launching of the METSAT is preceived much like a trial run to test the capabilities of such a rocket for a more-complex Rs 400-crore moon mission that involves sending a lunar orbiter with an operational life of two years.

For the METSAT mission, ISRO had to improve the performance of the third stage solid propellant motor by optimising the motor case and propellant loading. The propellant in the fourth stage liquid propellant motor also was increased from two tons to 2.5 tons.

While this was done to adapt the PSLV for launching a geo-stationary satellite like the METSAT, the lunar mission PSLV rocket would have to undergo more complex improvements in undertaking the nearly four lakh km journey that also includes changing over to a lunar trajectory and precisely ejecting the orbiter to its intended orbit curve.

ISRO scientists feel that the modified PSLV with more strap-on boosters is better suited to undertake the lunar mission in delivering a orbiting probe to its lunar trajectory.

PTI