The Indian space research organisation ISRO has launched a rocket that aims to land a rover at the Moon’s south pole, signalling its arrival as space power.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission, carrying a lander and rover, blasted off aboard ISRO’s LVM3 launch rocket from India’s main spaceport Sriharikota in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh at 2.35pm local time.
“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.
Watch the launch live here on The Independent’s YouTube.
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.
The rover and lander will conduct ranging studies and analyse the gas and plasma environment of the Moon to provide data for planning future missions.
More to follow
