With the successful launch of its Chandrayaan-3 mission on Friday, India is attempting to become only the fourth country to carry out a controlled landing on the moon. Chandrayaan, which means “moon vehicle” in Sanskrit, took off from the Satish Dawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh’s southernmost state, shortly after 2:30 p.m. local time (5 a.m. ET).
Crowds gathered at the space facility to see the historic launch, and over 1 million people watched on YouTube. Later that day, the Indian Space Research Organization verified on Twitter that Chandrayaan-3 was in “precise orbit” and had “begun its journey to the moon.” It also stated that the spacecraft’s health is “normal.”
In response, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter, “Chandrayaan-3 writes a new chapter in India’s space odyssey.” It soars high, uplifting every Indian’s goals and objectives. This historic feat is a credit to our scientists’ unwavering dedication. He admires their courage and resourcefulness!”
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The mission is scheduled to land on the moon on August 23. It is India’s second attempt at a soft landing, following the failure of the Chandrayaan-2 in 2019. Its first lunar mission, Chandrayaan-1, orbited the moon before deliberately crashing landing on its surface in 2008.
Chandrayaan-3, developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), consists of a lander, propulsion module, and rover. Its goal is to land safely on the moon’s surface, collect data, and carry out a series of scientific experiments to learn more about the moon’s composition.
Only the United States, Russia, and China have accomplished the difficult accomplishment of soft-landing a spacecraft on the moon’s surface. For years, Indian engineers have been working on the launch. They hope to land Chandrayaan-3 near the difficult terrain of the moon’s undiscovered South Pole.
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