Update: July 14, 9:17 a.m. ET: India’s LVM3 rocket blasted off from Sriharikota at 2:35 p.m. local time, sending the lander on a trajectory that will take it to the Moon.
Original article follows.
India’s third mission to the Moon is all set for liftoff, carrying the country’s hopes of safely landing on the lunar surface nearly four years after a failed first attempt.
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The Chandrayaan-3 mission is scheduled for launch on Friday, July 14 at 5:05 a.m. ET (2:35 p.m. local time) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The lunar lander will ride on board India’s Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3) rocket, and its launch will be broadcast live.
You can tune in to the live feed through the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) website, its Facebook page, as well as the space agency’s YouTube Channel. The broadcast will begin at 4:30 a.m. ET, and you can also watch it through the live feed below.
Chandrayaan-3 is India’s third mission to the Moon and the country’s second attempt to land on the lunar surface. The mission is made up of a propulsion module, a lander, and a rover. Its main goal is to demonstrate the ability to land on the Moon and roam the lunar surface for exploration to help develop new technologies for interplanetary missions.
Related article: Upcoming Launch Revives India’s Dream of Placing a Lander on the Moon
The propulsion module will carry the lander and the rover to lunar orbit and the lander-rover pair will attempt to land on the Moon, carrying six scientific instruments to gather data from the surface. The lander, equipped with a ramp for deployment, will carry the rover to the surface of the Moon, while the module will remain in orbit and act as a communication relay between the robotic duo and Earth.
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The mission’s predecessor, Chandrayaan-2, crashed on the Moon in September 2019 as it tried to touchdown on the dusty surface. The space agency lost contact with the mission’s Vikram lander when it was around 1.3 miles (2.1 kilometers) from the lunar surface, and the mission did not achieve its intended soft landing.
Landing on the Moon is not easy and has only been achieved by three other countries: the Soviet Union, the U.S. and China. ISRO might be better prepared for its second attempt to land on the lunar surface and its mission will hopefully stick the landing this time.
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