News Service from House Harris

ASIA: Indian probe lands on moon

BANGALORE, India, Nov 14 AFP - An Indian probe landed on the moon on Friday, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said, in a milestone forthe country's 45-year-old space program.

The probe touched down on the moon at 8.34pm (0204 AEDT), 25 minutes after it was ejected from an unmanned spacecraft orbiting the moon, a spokesman said.

The probe carrying three instruments and with the Indian flag painted on its outer panes settled in a crater in the moon's south pole, spokesman S Satish said.

"During its descent from Chandrayaan-1, an onboard video camera transmittedlunar pictures to the ISRO command centre," Satish said in the southern Indian city of Bangalore, where the national space agency is headquartered.

Scientists monitoring the probe cheered as ISRO chairman Madhavan Nair announced the success of the country's first lunar mission, which began on October 22 when a rocket transported Chandrayaan-1 into space.

India started its space program in 1963, developing satellites and launch vehicles to reduce dependence on overseas agencies.

AFP rs =0A