India’s space agency achieved a remarkable milestone as it successfully launched a rocket on Friday, propelling a spacecraft into orbit and setting it on a course for a planned landing next month at the lunar south pole. This unprecedented feat further solidifies India’s position as a major space power. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) initiated the mission as the LVM3 launch rocket took off from the country’s primary spaceport in Andhra Pradesh, leaving behind a trail of smoke and fire.
Approximately 16 minutes later, ISRO’s mission control confirmed that the rocket had successfully placed the Chandrayaan-3 lander into an Earth orbit, positioning it for a trajectory that will lead to a lunar landing in the coming weeks. If successful, India will join an elite group of three other nations—the United States, the former Soviet Union, and China—that have achieved controlled landings on the moon. Notably, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft will be the first to touch down at the lunar south pole, an area of great interest for space agencies and private companies due to the presence of water ice that could potentially support future space exploration endeavours.
The rocket took off from India’s primary spaceport at 2:35 p.m. local time, captivating the attention of over 1.4 million viewers on ISRO’s YouTube channel. Many viewers expressed their congratulations and patriotic sentiments with the slogan “Jai Hind” (Victory to India).
The eagerly awaited Chandrayaan-3 moon mission has been scheduled for launch on July 14, 2023. In 2020, ISRO’s Chandrayaan-2 mission successfully deployed an orbiter, although its lander and rover experienced an unfortunate crash near the anticipated landing site of Chandrayaan-3.
Chandrayaan, meaning “moon vehicle” in Sanskrit, features a 2-meter-tall lander designed to release a rover near the moon’s south pole, where it is expected to conduct a series of experiments over a two-week period. The lunar landing is projected to occur on August 23, as per ISRO’s announcement. This launch marks India’s first major mission since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government introduced policies to stimulate investment in space launches and satellite-based businesses.
Prime Minister Modi expressed his anticipation for the moon mission, stating on Twitter that it “will carry the hopes and dreams of our nation.” Deputy Minister of State for Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh, celebrated the launch at the spaceport event, affirming India’s commitment to playing a leading global role in the changing world landscape as “Mother India” enters the next 25 years. Since India opened up to private launches in 2020, the number of space startups has more than doubled. Last year, Skyroot Aerospace, backed by investors including Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC, successfully launched India’s first privately built rocket.
