"The Moon Impact Probe is expected to be detached (from Chandrayaan-1) at around 10 PM tomorrow," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) spokesperson S Satish said.

Miniature Indian flags are painted on four sides of MIP. "It will signify the entry of India on moon," Satish said.

"During its 20-minute descend to the moon's surface, MIP will take pictures and transmit these back to the ground," he said.

MIP is one of the 11 scientific instruments (payloads) onboard Chandrayaan-1, India's first unmanned spacecraft mission to moon which was launched on October 22.

The spacecraft on Wednesday reached its final orbital home, about 100 kms over the moon surface after ISRO scientists successfully carried out the last critical orbit lowering operation.

Developed by ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre of Thiruvananthapuram, the primary objective of MIP is to demonstrate the technologies required for landing a probe at the desired location on the moon.

The probe will help qualify some of the technologies related to future soft landing missions. This apart, scientific exploration of the moon at close distance is also intended using MIP.

related report
ISRO chief rejects criticism of Chandrayaan-1
ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair on Thursday sought to silence critics of the 'Chandrayaan-1' moon mission programme over its "exorbitant" costs, saying that only a miniscule portion of the Indian space programme's budget had been alloted for the mission.

"Only three per cent of total budget of ISRO for three years has been spent on the mission. Most of the expenses have gone to create infrastructural facilities, which will be used for our plans to send satellites to Mars and Venus. Hence the question of spending an exorbitant amount does not arise," he said, inaugurating an international seminar on Emerging Scenarios in Space Technology and applications here.

Dedicating the successful Chandrayaan-1 mission to the Indian scientific community, he said "it is a turning point in the country's space programme and has enthused young scientists."

ISRO had not forgotten its commitment to society, he said adding that the organisation's next phase was to provide benefits to the poor through advanced technology.

"Our eyes will now focus on global warming, water shortage and telemedicine, which are important to the poor," he said.

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