An Indian spacecraft has embarked on a mission to the far side of the moon, following a failed attempt four years ago to land a rover on its surface, according to India’s space agency.
Named Chandrayaan-3, meaning “moon craft” in Sanskrit, the spacecraft consists of an orbiter, a lander, and a rover, showcasing India’s growing space technology. It will travel for slightly over a month before landing on the moon in August.
The launch of the spacecraft was celebrated by engineers and scientists at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, while thousands of Indians cheered outside the mission control center.
If successful, India will become the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the moon, following the United States, the Soviet Union, and China.
The lander and rover module of Chandrayaan-3 are equipped with payloads that will provide data on lunar soil and rocks to the scientific community, including their chemical and elemental compositions, according to Dr Jitendra Singh, the junior minister for science and technology.
India’s previous attempt to land a spacecraft near the moon’s south pole in 2019 ended in failure due to a software glitch. The mission was aimed at studying water deposits in permanently shadowed moon craters.
Sreedhara Panicker Somanath, the director of ISRO, stated that the main objective of this mission is to achieve a safe and soft landing on the moon, as landing technology is a focus area for the Indian space agency.
Many countries and private companies are competing to successfully land spacecraft on the moon. India is also preparing for its first mission to the International Space Station in collaboration with the US in 2024.
India’s space program has already contributed to the development of satellite, communication, and remote-sensing technologies, as well as providing data for water level monitoring and weather prediction in the country.