The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has officially announced that the highly anticipated Chandrayaan-3 moon mission is scheduled for launch on July 14. The mission will be carried out by ISRO’s new heavy-lift launch vehicle, LVM-3, which will lift off at 2:35 pm from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
The successful integration of the encapsulated assembly, containing Chandrayaan-3, with the launch vehicle LVM-3 took place on Wednesday at the SDSC. This important milestone signifies the readiness of the mission for its upcoming launch.
ISRO Chairman S Somnath had previously disclosed that the third lunar mission was nearing completion, with final integration and testing almost finished. However, a few remaining tests are still pending, leading the organization to choose the July slot for the launch, despite having options in February and June.
Chandrayaan-3 serves as a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 and aims to demonstrate the end-to-end capability of safe landing and roving on the lunar surface. The mission carries a suite of scientific instruments designed to study various aspects of the Moon, including the thermophysical properties of the lunar regolith, lunar seismicity, lunar surface plasma environment, and elemental composition near the landing site.
Earlier this year, in March, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft successfully completed essential tests that validated its ability to withstand the intense vibration and acoustic conditions encountered during launch.
Chandrayaan-2, India’s previous lunar mission, was launched on July 22, 2019, from the Satish Dhawan Space Center. Unfortunately, the mission encountered a setback when the Vikram lunar lander failed to make a successful landing on the Moon on September 6, 2019.
With the imminent launch of Chandrayaan-3, ISRO is determined to rectify the previous mission’s shortcomings and make significant strides in lunar exploration and research.