The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up to launch Chandrayaan-3 on Friday (July 14), its third lunar exploration mission, from Sriharikota. This milestone event will position India as the fourth nation to successfully land its spacecraft on the moon’s surface, showcasing the country’s expertise in executing safe and gentle landings on the lunar terrain.
In preparation for the mission, the ISRO has conducted a comprehensive 24-hour “launch rehearsal,” meticulously simulating the complete launch preparation and process. This rigorous exercise ensures that all aspects of the mission are thoroughly tested and ready for the actual launch, affirming the organization’s commitment to precision and success in its lunar exploration endeavors.
ISRO has said that the mission is slated to be launched at 2:35 pm onboard a Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM3) from the spaceport of Sriharikota.
On Thursday morning, a team of ISRO scientists team arrived at Tirupati Venkatachalapathy Temple in Andhra Pradesh with a miniature model of Chandrayaan-3 to offer prayers.
It can be seen that this will be ISRO follow-up attempt after Chandrayaan-2 mission faced challenges during its soft landing in 2019. The mission failed after the Vikram lunar lander crashed on the Moon during the early hours.
The mission follows Chandrayaan-2 where scientists aim to demonstrate various capabilities including reaching the orbit of the moon, making a soft-landing on the lunar surface using a lander, and a rover coming out of the lander to study the surface of the moon.