Hyderabad: ISRO's third lunar exploration mission, Chandrayaan-3 is live now. The GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle, which will release the moon lander and rover into space, has lifted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota at 02.35 pm. The countdown for the launch began on Thursday, July 13, at 01:05 pm.
At the end of the 25.30 hour countdown, the LVM3-M4 rocket, the largest and heaviest in its class and dubbed as 'Fat Boy' lifted off majestically at a prefixed time at 2.35 pm from the second launch pad, discharging thick plumes of smoke. Thousands of spectators who had converged to witness the historic launch cheered the rocket as it made its ascent into the skies.
With the Chandrayaan-3 mission, scientists are aiming at mastering soft-landing on the lunar surface, a challenging technical aspect which is planned for late August. A successful mission would make India only the fourth country to achieve the rare feat after the United States, China and the former Soviet Union.
The Chandrayaan-3 is ISRO's follow-up attempt after the Chandrayaan-2 mission faced challenges during its soft landing on the lunar surface in 2019 and was eventually deemed to have failed its mission objectives. The ‘Launch Rehearsal’ simulating the entire launch preparation and process was successfully concluded by ISRO on July 11. Chandrayaan-3 weighs around 3,900 kilograms and is equipped with a lander, a rover and a propulsion module.
The ISRO's third lunar exploration mission is equipped with eight payloads. The experiments to be carried out by Chandrayan 3 include the Vikram lander (named after Space scientist Vikram Sarabhai) which will carry 4 instruments, Pragyan (Sanskrit for Wisdom) rover will carry two instruments and Propulsion Module or the Orbiter will carry one experiment.
- 04.00 pm
President Draupadi Murmu on Friday hailed the successful launch of the Chandrayaan-3 Lunar Mission saying it demonstrates country's unwavering commitment to advancement in space science and technology. Read More
- 03.20 pm
This momentous achievement testament to our scientists' relentless dedication, the Lunar Mission scripts a new chapter in the country's space odyssey: PM Narendra Modi after ISRO launches its third lunar mission. Read More
- 03.00 pm
LVM 3-M4 rocket has put Chandrayaan 3 into the precise orbit. Chandrayaan 3 has started its journey towards moon says ISRO chief Somanath. Read More
- 02.35 pm
The Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission was successfully launched from the SDSC, SHAR. Read More
- 02.00 pm
Moon can become a launchpad for future space mission, says renowned astronomer Sachin Bahmba. Read More
- 01.30 pm
Here is the timeline so far of the moon mission as undertaken by the Indian Space Research Organisation. Read More
- 01.00 pm
Chandrayaan-3, which will lift off from Sriharikota Space Centre on Friday, the 14th is to demonstrate India's capability for a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, to demonstrate Rover roving on the moon and to conduct an in-situ scientific experiment. Read More
- 12.30 pm
Well-known space analyst Girish Linganna opined that the outcomes from Chandrayaan-3 would be helpful for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), an independent agency of the United States government. Read More
- 12.00 pm
Giving details of the history of India's moon mission, the prime minister Narendra Modi said Chandrayaan-2 was equally pathbreaking because data from the Orbiter associated with it detected the presence of chromium, manganese and sodium for the first time through remote sensing. Read More
- 11.30 am
The three companies include HEC (Heavy Engineering Corporation), MECON and Tata. They have contributed from the paper design, making of many important equipment including the launch pad to the 84 meter high launch pad. The equipment required for the Satellite Launch Pad (SLP) has been manufactured in the workshop of Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) located at Dhurwa, Ranchi. Read More
- 11.00 am
The Countdown is progressing at Satish Dhawan Space Centre - SHAR, Shriharikota. Propellant filling in the L110 stage is completed. Propellant filling in the C25 stage is commencing. Read more
