Chandrayaan 2: President congratulates technocrats on successful launch of lunar mission

President Ramnath Kovind on Monday congratulated scientists and engineers on ISRO's successful launch of Chandrayaan 2 from Sriharikota today afternoon.

"The historic launch of Chandrayaan 2 from Sriharikota is a proud moment for all Indians. Congratulations to our scientists and engineers for furthering India's indigenous space program. May ISRO continue to master new technologies, and continue to conquer new frontiers," he tweeted from his official handle.

Kovind expressed hope that the lunar mission will be a step towards new discoveries and will act as a boost to our knowledge systems.

"Chandrayaan 2 will be the first spacecraft to land close to the moon's South Pole in some 50 days from now. The mission is expected to lead to new discoveries and enrich our knowledge systems. I wish the Chandrayaan-2 team every success," he said in another tweet.

Chandrayaan-2 took off at 2.43 pm from Sriharikota, exactly a week after the mission was aborted after a technical snag was detected less than an hour before the launch.

ISRO chief K Sivan said that the spacecraft will be landing on the moon very slowly. "It will land on the South Pole. There is a lot of scientific testing to be done regarding the mission. Scientists around the world are looking forward to the launch," Sivan had said.

Chandrayaan-2 will explore a region of Moon where no mission has ever set foot. The spacecraft consists of an orbiter, a lander, and a rover together referred to as "composite body". The probe's total mass is 3.8 ton and is expected to land on the Moon's south polar region on September 6 or 7 this year.

It will be the first Indian expedition to attempt a soft landing on the lunar surface. This mission will make India the fourth country after the US, Russia, and China to carry out a soft landing on Moon.