India prepares for its mission to make a successful landing on the Moon.
The Indian Space Research Organisation is due to launch its Chandrayaan-3 mission to the Moon today, 14 July at 14:35 IST (09:35 BST / 08:35 UTC).
The mission is India’s latest attempt to launch a spacecraft from Earth and make a successful soft landing on another celestial body.
The ISRO had previously attempted a soft landing on the lunar surface with its Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2019, and while the spacecraft did reach lunar orbit successfully, a software error caused the lander to crash on 6 September 2019.
Chandrayaan-3 is launching from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota Range in India, with a launch window that could stretch to 19 July.
However, the ISRO has stated that it will attempt to launch the spacecraft today, 14 July.
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If successful, Chandrayaan 3 will reach orbit around the Moon, and its Vikram lander will then separate from the spacecraft and touch down on the surface of the Moon late August.
From the lander, the Pragyan rover will then be deployed and begin its operations on the lunar surface.
The lander and rover, it is hoped, will operate for about 2 Earth weeks
Chandrayaan 3’s propulsion module will stay in orbit around the Moon and conduct studies of Earth, while the lunar lander will measure the surface temperature of the Moon and seismic activity.
The rover will investigate the composition of surface material.
Mission support is being provided by the European Space Agency in the form of ground communication and tracking at stations in Kourou, French Guiana, Goonhilly Earth Station Ltd in the UK and Darmstadt, Germany.
Watch the launch of Chandrayaan-3 live online
You can watch today’s launch live via the Indian Space Research Organisation’s YouTube channel