The first mission of India to the Moon launched the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) – Chandrayaan-I could come to a premature end because of the failure of star sensors on board the spacecraft.

The ISRO spokesperson S Satish has confirmed that star sensors, which played the crucial role of orientation towards the Moon, are malfunctioning.   

The ISRO has said that it is using newly devised innovative technology and antenna pointing mechanism and gyroscopes to fix the problem, but the space agency has not sounded confident about how long they can hold to this mode.

Satish said, "We are not sure how long we will be able to sustain it”

He said, “The life of Chandrayaan-I designed for two years may be reduced.”

The unmanned lunar exploration mission, Chandrayaan-I was launched by a modified version of the PSLV, PSLV C11, from from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh about 80 km north of Chennai, on October 22 last year.