India’s space agency has successfully launched a rocket that aims to land a rover at the Moon’s south pole, signalling its arrival as a space power.
The Indian space research organisation’s (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 mission, carrying a lander and rover, blasted off at 2.35pm local time aboard the LVM3 rocket from India’s main spaceport, Sriharikota, in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
“14 July 2023 will always be etched in golden letters as far as India’s space sector is concerned… This remarkable mission will carry the hopes and dreams of our nation,” Indian prime minister Narendra Modi tweeted on Friday, ahead of the launch.
A successful landing would make India only the fourth country after the US, the former Soviet Union and China to land a probe on the Moon, and the first to do so near the lunar south pole.
This is a region of special interest among space agencies and private companies due to the confirmed presence of water ice that could support potential lunar mining missions and Moon bases.
14th July 2023 will always be etched in golden letters as far as India’s space sector is concerned. Chandrayaan-3, our third lunar mission, will embark on its journey. This remarkable mission will carry the hopes and dreams of our nation. pic.twitter.com/EYTcDphaES
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 14, 2023
ISRO will also conduct science experiments on the lunar surface as part of the latest mission, whose cost comes to about £63m ($82m).
Among the instruments aboard the lander are a probe to measure the Moon’s surface thermal properties, dubbed the Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE), and an instrument called ILSA for measuring lunar seismic activity.
LVM3 M4/Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
LVM3 M4 vehicle🚀 successfully launched Chandrayaan-3🛰️ into orbit.— ISRO (@isro) July 14, 2023
