India space probe begins journey to moon’s south pole
India’s space agency launched a rocket on Friday that would send a spacecraft into orbit and land on the south pole of the moon next month, an unprecedented feat that would cement India’s position as a major space power.
The Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) LVM3 launcher fired from the country’s main spaceport in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh on Friday afternoon, leaving a plume of smoke and fire.
About 16 minutes later, ISRO’s mission control announced that the missile had succeeded in orbiting the Chandrayaan-3 lander that will send it on a loop to a lunar landing next month.
If the mission succeeds, India would join a group of three other countries that have managed a controlled moon landing, including the United States, the former Soviet Union and China.
1st at the South Pole
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft would also be the first to land at the moon’s south pole, an area of special interest to space agencies and private space companies due to the presence of water ice that could support a future space station.
The rocket was launched at 2:35 p.m. local time from India’s main spaceport. More than 1.4 million people watched the launch on ISRO’s YouTube channel, with many congratulating and wearing the patriotic slogan “Jai Hind” (Victory to India).
In 2020, ISRO’s Chandrayan-2 mission successfully deployed an orbiter, but the lander and rover were destroyed in a crash near where the Chandrayan-3 will attempt a landing.
Chandrayaan, meaning “lunar vehicle” in Sanskrit, contains a seven-foot lander designed to deploy a rover near the moon’s south pole, where it is expected to remain functional for two weeks for a series of experiments.
The moon landing is expected on August 23, ISRO has said.
The launch is India’s first major mission since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government announced policies to encourage investment in space launches and related satellite-based businesses.
Modi had previously said on Twitter that the moon mission will “carry our nation’s hopes and dreams”.
“As Mother India enters the next 25 years, she promises to play a leading role in the emerging world scenario,” said Deputy Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh at an event at the spaceport to celebrate the launch.
Since 2020, when India opened to private launches, the number of aerospace startups has more than doubled. Late last year, Skyroot Aerospace, whose investors include Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, launched India’s first privately built rocket.
