India’s Chandrayaan-3 blasts off to the moon

Chandrayaan-3, India’s third mission to the moon, has taken off successfully — almost four years after its predecessor failed to touch down on the lunar surface in 2019.

On Friday, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched its ‘Launch Vehicle Mark-III’ rocket carrying the next Chandrayaan (Sanskrit for “moon vehicle”) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in South India’s Sriharikota island. The launch happened at 2:35 p.m. IST (2:05 a.m. PDT), the target time that was announced last week.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission — developed with a budget of less than $75 million — comprises a lander, rover and propulsion module, and is aiming to demonstrate safe landing and roving on the lunar surface and conduct on-site scientific experiences. The unmanned vehicle’s soft landing is expected on August 23.

 

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