The lift-off of Chandrayaan 2, Indian's space mission that aims to place a robotic rover on the moon, has been called off. President Ram Nath Kovind was supposed to witness the live launch of the mission from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The 3.8-tonne satellite was set to be taken to the moon on the 640-tonne GSLV Mk III (nicknamed "Baahubali"), India's most powerful rocket. After lift-off, Chandrayaan 2 was supposed to head to the south pole of the moon for a soft landing.
The journey of 3.84 lakh kilometres will take nearly two months to complete. The Chandrayaan 2 mission will carry a 1.4 tonne lander Vikram - which in turn will take the 27-kilogramme rover Pragyan - to a high plain between two craters on the lunar South Pole.
If the mission is successful, it will be a huge achievement for Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), that has a budget almost 20 times less than US space agency NASA. The mission's success will make India the fourth country to soft-land a spacecraft on the lunar surface after the US, Russia and China.
Here are the updates on the Chandrayaan-2 launch:
The technical snag was noticed during the cryogenic fuel was being loaded. We have to approach the vehicle to assess the problem. First we have to empty the fuel loaded in the rocket, then the rocket will be taken back for further investigation," an ISRO source told IANS.
"This process will take 10 days after that only we can decide on the launch schedule," the source said.
A technical snag was observed in launch vehicle system at T-56 minute. As a measure of abundant precaution, #Chandrayaan2 launch has been called off for today. Revised launch date will be announced later.
- ISRO (@isro) July 14, 2019
LIVE: Special coverage of India's historic moon mission Chandrayaan 2
- NDTV (@ndtv) July 14, 2019
Watch on https://t.co/Fbzw6mR9Q5 and NDTV 24x7 https://t.co/0MJ3QXTXKB
Filling of Liquid Hydrogen in Cryogenic stage of #GSLVMkIII-M1 completed.#Chandrayaan2 #ISRO
- ISRO (@isro) July 14, 2019
Stay tuned for more updates..
Visitors gather outside Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota where #Chandrayaan2 is scheduled to be launched at 2:51 AM today. pic.twitter.com/ylKwbytxJB
- ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2019
Countdown To India's Ambitious Moon MissionCountdown To India's Ambitious Moon Mission | NDTV.com Video | In just a few hours, India will have embarked on its biggest and most ambitious space adventure Chandrayaan 2, the mission to see if sizeable water exists under the lunar surface. The mission will see a lander touchdown on the moon and release a rover in September.
Filling of Liquid oxygen in cryogenic stage of #GSLVMkIII-M1 Commenced.#Chandrayaan2 #ISRO
- ISRO (@isro) July 14, 2019
Updates to continue..
India's Moonshot Tonight, Countdown To Chandrayaan 2 LaunchIndia's Moonshot Tonight, Countdown To Chandrayaan 2 Launch | NDTV.com Video | President Ram Nath Kovind has arrived at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh to witness the live launch of the Chandrayaan 2, the Indian space mission that aims to place a robotic rover on the moon, at 2:51 am on Monday.
Chandrayaan 2 Launch: When And Where To Watch Live StreamingISRO Chandrayaan 2: Chandrayaan-2's orbiter, lander and rover have been designed and made in India, and it will use its most powerful rocket launcher, GSLV Mk III, to carry the 2.4 tonne orbiter. With Chandrayaan-2, India will continue its search for water on the lunar surface after Chandrayaan-1 in 2009 made the breakthrough of discovering the presence of water molecules on the Moon's surface."
Behind the scenes of Chandrayaan 2
Here's some exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage of the mission's various components coming together - https://t.co/baOMowvWHa
Tell us what you think about it in the comments below. #Chandrayaan2 #GSLVMkIII #ISRO pic.twitter.com/Kguy33p2C1
- ISRO (@isro) July 14, 2019
