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NASA just found a long-lost spacecraft orbiting the moon.。

The Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) Chandrayaan-1 probe was lost less than one year after its 2008 launch, but now, thanks to help from the U.S. space agency, it has been found again.。

The spacecraft -- India's first moon probe -- was found along with NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) circling the moon.。

"Finding LRO was relatively easy, as we were working with the mission's navigators and had precise orbit data where it was located. Finding India's Chandrayaan-1 required a bit more detective work because the last contact with the spacecraft was in August of 2009," Marina Brozovic, a radar scientist working on the project, said in a statement.。

The Chandrayaan-1 project, which cost the country north of $50 million, was years in the making, and naturally, a lot was expected of it. 。

The spacecraft came equipped with high-resolution remote sensing equipment for surveying the lunar surface and mapping the moon's chemical characteristics.。

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In August 2009, ISRO said it lost contact with Chandrayaan-1, meaning that the space agency couldn’t receive any images from the spacecraft, nor could it assume control over it.。

Chandrayaan-1 radar image.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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Chandrayaan-1 radar image.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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Now, eight years after it went silent, the Chandrayaan-1 probe has been found.。

The NASA team that found the probe says it knew the Chandrayaan-1 was still orbiting so they started looking at places where the thought the spacecraft would be at specific times. Last year, the team spotted "a radar signature of a small spacecraft" which matched Chandrayaan-1’s profile.。

After doing more analysis, the team figured out exactly where to find the Chandrayaan-1.。

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