Nagpur: Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Dr S Kasturirangan has said that the Centre would be approached to take a decision on India's first lunar mission if the country's scientific community meeting in Bangalore next month (December) approves the un-manned lunar mission.

"A national committee comprising all eminent scientists drawn from various agencies and government departments, was set up earlier. It has submitted a positive report for the proposed un-manned lunar mission in October, which will come up for discussion at Bangalore," Kasturirangan told reporters in Nagpur.

"After the successful launch of series of geo-synchronous and polar satellite launch vehicles and their capabilities, India is in a position to take up mission to moon," the ISRO chief, who was here for a lecture series on the occasion of tercentenary celebrations of Nagpur, said.

ISRO is presently developing a highly sophisticated Mark-II version of GSLV (Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle), which would place India in the largest vehicle category in the world, he said.

The lunar mission would be undertaken by a PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) carrying a 500 kg spacecraft and equipped with imagery x-ray, spectograph to carry out physical, chemical and chronological elements of Moon, the senior scientist said.

It would explore new regions on Moon and would be on a polar orbit. It would be a technological and engineering challenge for the scientific community when the mission is undertaken, Kasturirangan added.

PTI