The video is believed to show the launch of SpaceX Falcon 9.
India's third moon mission, Chandrayaan-3, was successfully launched onboard a Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM-3) rocket from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 2.35 p.m. on Friday. The significant milestone has made every Indian proud, garnering congratulatory wishes from all over the world.
The momentous launch attracted millions of enthusiastic spectators who cheered on the rocket's ascent.
As people witnessed the countdown followed by the takeoff on their phones and television screens, social media was full of videos related to the launch.
The liftoff was also caught on camera from a plane window that was flying from Chennai to Dhaka.
The video was shared on Twitter by the official handle of IndiGo Airlines.
The commercial airlines captioned the visuals as "A ticket to the moon, quite literally. Mr Ponraj beautifully captured the exclusive view of the Chandrayaan 3 during our Chennai to Dhaka flight."
The airlines also tagged Mr Ponraj in their tweet.
Since being shared, the video has received lakhs of views and countless likes, leaving many internet users speechless by the passenger's photographic prowess.
However, a fake video of the launch of Chandrayaan-3 is also going viral, which is not of the real event. In fact, the video is believed to show the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 that took place in December last year. A report published in The Independent in December 2022 carried similar visuals. "Passengers see SpaceX rocket launch from a plane window," the headline read.
The journey from Earth to the moon for Chandrayaan-3 is estimated to take about a month, and the landing is expected on August 23. Upon landing, it will operate for one lunar day, which is approximately 14 Earth days. One day on the Moon is equal to 14 days on Earth.
Chandrayaan-3, India's third lunar exploration mission, will make India the fourth country after the US, China, and Russia to land its spacecraft on the surface of the moon and demonstrate the country's abilities for a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface.
Chandrayaan-3 is the ISRO's follow-up attempt after the Chandrayaan-2 mission faced challenges during its soft landing on the lunar surface in 2019 and was eventually deemed to have failed its core mission objectives.
Chandrayaan-3 will be inserted into the Lunar Transfer Trajectory after the orbit-raising manoeuvres. Covering a distance of over 300,000 km, it will reach the Moon in the coming weeks. Scientific instruments will study the Moon's surface and enhance our knowledge.
Chandrayaan-3 is equipped with a lander, a rover, and a propulsion module. It weighs around 3,900 kilogrammes.
(With inputs from the agency)
