Chandrayaan-2 launch date had to be postponed due to a technical problem observed in the GSLV MKIII, the launch vehicle for Chandrayaan-2.
India’s second Lunar Mission, Chandrayaan-2 space launch had to be aborted about an hour before the scheduled launch time of 2:51 am on July 15, 2019.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has released a press statement that a technical snag was observed 56 minutes before the scheduled launch time. The launch countdown had to be stopped.
“A new launch date will be announced later,” ISRO added
The technical problem was observed in the GSLV MKIII, the launch vehicle for Chnadrayaan-2. The main composite module is intact.
Chandrayaan-2 is ISRO’s first attempt to make a soft landing on the surface of the moon. It will follow the successful maiden Lunar Mission Chandrayaan-1 launched in 2008. Chandrayaan-1 which made more than 3,400 orbits around the moon was operational for 312 days till August 29, 2009.
Facts about Chandrayaan-2:
In her first Budget speech on July 5, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had listed space programmes like Chandrayaan-2 as part of the vision to make India a $5-trillion economy.
The launch will be a testament to India’s deep space exploration capabilities.
The Chandrayaan-2 space mission will be launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, using a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk-III) rocket.
This rocket will deliver rover Pragyan and lander Vikram to the surface of the moon.
With Chandrayaan-2, India is seeking to become the fourth country to land on the moon after the US, China, and the former Soviet Union.
The Lunar mission intends to soft-land the rover Pragyan and lander Vikram to an elevated plain, which will be closer to the Moon’s South Polar Region.
The mission aims at improving the knowledge of the Moon with discoveries that will be beneficial to India and increase humans’ understanding of space.
It is also a promising touchstone to exhibit technologies imperative for deep-space missions.
Chandrayaan-2 is the world’s first mission with indigenous technology that will attempt a soft landing on the Moon’s South Polar Region. It is also the first Indian mission to explore the moon’s terrain with indigenous technology.
