India's space agency says its first lunar probe has landed on the moon.
TheIndian Space Research Organization says the small unmanned detached from its orbiter and crash-landed as planned on thelunar surface late Friday. The agency called it a "perfect operation."
During the probe's descent, officials say its video camera took and transmitted close-range images of the moon.
Thecraft will analyze dust samples to support the spacecraft's two-year mission of mapping the moon's surface and whatlies beneath it.
The probe's landing came two days after went into lunar orbit about 100 kilometers above themoon's surface. The spacecraft was launched on October 22 from, near the southeastern city of Chennai.
India is following in the path of its Asian rivals, Japan and China, who have already had spacecraft in orbit around the moon.
Indianofficials put the cost of this mission at $79 million. They say it willlay the groundwork for future Indian space expeditions. The spaceagency has said it wants to launch a manned mission to the moon by2020, and has also set its sights on Mars.