Chandrayaan II, India's Second Moon Mission Successfully Takes Off At Second Attempt

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has successfully launched Chandrayaan-II, the country's second moon mission.

Chandrayaan-II was launched onboard by the Isro on its most powerful launcher GSLV-Mk III, from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh¡¯s Sriharikota at 2:43 PM on Monday.

According to ISRO, Chandrayaan-II's lander called Vikram, which is named after Dr. Vikram A Sarabhai will complete the 384,400 km journey and land on the Moon on the 48th day of the mission.

AFP

ISRO aims to land its probe on the far side of the moon, which has never been achieved by any other countries so far.

The launch of lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 is set to make India the fourth country after the US, Russia, and China to make a technically complex soft-landing on moon.

This is India's second trip to the moon. The first probe, Chandrayaan 1, was launched in October 2008, which made India the first country in the world to complete a successful moon landing in the very first attempt. The Chandrayaan 1 was significant as it discovered water on the moon, and with the second launch, India aims to take it further.

BCCL

Monday's was the second attempt at launching the mission. On July 15, the ISRO had called off its planned launch less than an hour before the scheduled lift-off after a sudden drop in pressure was observed in a chamber filled with helium gas in the launch vehicle, the GSLV-Mk III heavy-lift rocket. It was later rescheduled for July 22.