PM Narendra Modi watched the launch of ISRO's Chandrayaan 2 at his office.
Highlights
- PM Modi seen clapping with ISRO scientists after Chandrayaan 2 launch
- "Matter of pride for every Indian," he said in an audio message
- Chandrayaan 2 is billed as ISRO's most complex and prestigious mission
Prime Minister Narendra Modi watched the Chandrayaan 2 lift-off on a giant screen at his office in Delhi and was also seen clapping with scientists of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) when the rocket successfully placed the Chandrayaan 2 into orbit.
"It is a matter of pride for every Indian," PM Modi said in an audio message after the historic lift-off.
Last week, ISRO called off the mission less than an hour before the launch after detecting a technical snag.
"ISRO was very prompt in identifying the technical glitch and was able to achieve a successful launch within a week. This is a great example of how our scientists have the talent, capability and confidence to overcome every challenge," the Prime Minister said.
He also referred to the fact that ISRO had not rescheduled the moon landing despite the one-week gap.
Chandrayaan 2 lifted off from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
"The launch of #Chandrayaan2 illustrates the prowess of our scientists and the determination of 130 crore Indians to scale new frontiers of science," PM Modi said in a series of tweets.
"What would make every Indian overjoyed is the fact that #Chandrayaan2 is a fully indigenous mission.
It will have an Orbiter for remote sensing the Moon and also a Lander-Rover module for analysis of lunar surface," he wrote.
Chandrayaan 2 was unique, he said, because it would explore and perform studies on the south pole region of the lunar terrain, which is not explored and sampled by any past mission. "This mission will offer new knowledge about the Moon," the PM tweeted.
Chandrayaan 2, billed as ISRO's most complex and prestigious mission, will make India the fourth country to soft land a rover on the lunar surface after Russia, US and China.
According to the space agency, on the day of landing - estimated on September 7 -- the lander Vikram will separate from the Orbiter and then perform a series of complex manoeuvres.