Chandrayaan 2 Successfully Launched

At 2:43 p.m. on Monday, ISRO’s Chandrayaan-2 mission had a successful lift-off from Sriharikota launchpad. It carries a lander and orbiter, tucking the rover in the lander. By 7 September, the lander Vikram will try a smooth landing on the moon. The Indian Space Agency used the Mk-III GSLV which is India’s heaviest rocket.

After Chandrayaan-1 confirmed the presence of water-ice on the surface of the moon, Chandrayaan 2 will explore a previously unexplored area on the south pole of the moon. This is India’s most ambitious task and the place of India as a major low-cost space force will be cemented if successful.

Earlier on July 15, the mission was called off due to a’ technical snag’ just 56 minutes before the start. ISRO chairman K.Sivan said the technicians worked around the clock and solved it 36 hours after the issue was identified. The trio is on their way to the moon now and on September 7 expected to reach only a day later.

The GSLV Mk-III has its own propulsion module for the Orbiter that will power the escape of the vehicle from Earth’s orbit into the Moon’s. Once the spacecraft reaches the orbit of the Moon, it will try to create a smooth landing 600 kilometers away from the lunar South pole in a region.