The countdown for the launch of India’s latest Moon mission – Chandrayaan-3 – began ahead of take-off on Friday afternoon from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
The upcoming moon exploration mission is expected to position the South Asian country as the fourth nation to successfully land a spacecraft on the moon, showcasing its prowess in executing secure and soft lunar surface landings.
Chandrayaan-3 launch
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Director S Somanath said, “On July 14 at 2.35 pm (IST), Chandrayaan-3 will lift off, and if everything goes well, it will land (on the moon) on August 23…the date is decided based on when the sunrise is on the moon; it will depend on the calculations, but if it gets delayed, then we will have to keep the landing for the next month in September.”
The spacecraft will be launched on a GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle.
This will be ISRO’s follow-up attempt after the Chandrayaan-2 mission faced challenges during its soft landing in 2019.
The ‘Launch Rehearsal’ simulating the entire launch preparation and process has been concluded by the ISRO, media reports said.
If this launch is successful, Chandrayaan-3 will be the first spacecraft to land on Moon’s South Pole, demonstrating India’s technical prowess and bold spacefaring ambitions.
ISRO has also invited common citizens to witness the launch of the Chandrayaan-3. The launch can be viewed from the Launch View Gallery at SDSC-SHAR, Sriharikota.
ISRO tweeted: “Vehicle electrical tests completed. Citizens are invited to witness the launch from the Launch View Gallery at SDSC-SHAR, Sriharikota, by registering.”
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