New Delhi:
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has confirmed the launch date for its highly anticipated lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3. The rocket is slated to launch on July 13 at 2:30 pm local time, officials announced.
The mission, India’s third venture to the moon, represents another significant step for the nation in space exploration, following the successful but bittersweet Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2019. While the previous mission managed to orbit the moon, the Vikram lander suffered a hard landing that prevented the rover from being deployed as planned.
ISRO officials are optimistic about the upcoming mission’s potential for success. The Chandrayaan-3 mission is expected to further deepen our understanding of the moon, with its main objective being to demonstrate the ability to soft-land on the lunar surface and operate a robotic rover.
The launch is set to take place at the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India, using a GSLV Mark 3 heavy-lift launch vehicle. The mission has been budgeted at Rs 615 crore.
The Chandrayaan-3 has undergone rigorous testing and validation processes to mitigate risks and ensure a successful mission. The mission design, including the lunar payload configuration, has been optimized based on lessons learned from the previous mission.
