India’s second Moon mission Chandrayaan-2 lifted off from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on Monday, a week after the earlier launch was aborted following a technical snag.
“Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-Mark III (GSLVMkIII)-M1 lifts-off from Sriharikota carrying #Chandrayaan2,” ISRO said.
The mission came 11 years after ISRO’s successful first lunar mission Chandrayaan 1 that made history.
Earlier, a 20-hour countdown for the launch of India’s moon mission Chandrayaan-2 began at 6.43 pm on Sunday. The previous launch was called off 56 minutes left for the countdown on July 15 after a technical snag was discovered.
The quick remedial action was taken by a team set up to look into the snag, ISRO said.
President Ram Nath Kovind congratulated ISRO on a successful launch.
“The historic launch of #Chandrayaan2 from Sriharikota is a proud moment for all Indians. Congratulations to our scientists and engineers for furthering India’s indigenous space programme. May @ISRO continue to master new technologies, and continue to conquer new frontiers,” Kovind said.
“#Chandrayaan2 will be the first spacecraft to land close to the moon’s South Pole in some 50 days from now. The mission is expected to lead to new discoveries and enrich our knowledge systems. I wish the Chandrayaan-2 team every success,” Kovind added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that launch of Chandrayaan2 illustrated the ‘prowess of our scientists’ and the determination of 130 crore Indians to ‘scale new frontiers of science’. “Special moments that will be etched in the annals of our glorious history
“Special moments that will be etched in the annals of our glorious history! The launch of #Chandrayaan2 illustrates the prowess of our scientists and the determination of 130 crore Indians to scale new frontiers of science. Every Indian is immensely proud today!” Modi tweeted.
“Indian at heart, Indian in spirit! What would make every Indian overjoyed is the fact that #Chandrayaan2 is a fully indigenous mission. It will have an Orbiter for remote sensing the Moon and also a Lander-Rover module for analysis of lunar surface,” Modi added.
He further said, “#Chandrayaan2 is unique because it will explore and perform studies on the south pole region of lunar terrain which is not explored and sampled by any past mission. This mission will offer new knowledge about the Moon.”
“Efforts such as #Chandrayaan2 will further encourage our bright youngsters towards science, top quality research and innovation. Thanks to Chandrayaan, India’s Lunar Programme will get a substantial boost. Our existing knowledge of the Moon will be significantly enhanced,” Modi said.
Former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in a tweet said, “I salute @Isro scientists for making India a space super power by successfully launching #Chandrayaan2. I wish the mission a grand success.”
Finance Minster Nirmala Sitharaman Complimented the ISRO team.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said team ISRO has scripted a new chapter in India’s space history.
“Congratulations to ISRO scientists on flawless launching of #Chandrayaan2 from Sriharikota Team ISRO scripted a new chapter in India’s space history with the launch of this ambitious and indigenous Mission to Moon. The nation is extremely proud of its scientists and Team ISRO,” Rajnath tweeted.
“Chandrayaan 2 attempts to foster a new age of discovery, increase our understanding of space, stimulate the advancement of technology, promote global alliances, and inspire a future generation of explorers and scientists,” the statement said.
