Chandrayaan-2 illustrates India's determination to scale new frontiers of science: PM

The launch of Chandrayaan-2 illustrates the prowess of Indian scientists and the determination of 130 crore countrymen to scale new frontiers of science, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday.

Soon after the launch, the prime minister took to Twitter to hail the success and also sent a congratulatory audio message to those involved in the launch, saying the scientists overcame the glitches spotted during the previous launch thus proving their grit and determination.

He also said every Indian is immensely proud today.

India has successfully launched its second lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 on board its powerful rocket GSLV-MkIII-M1 from the spaceport in Sriharikota to explore the unchartered south pole of the celestial body by landing a rover.

"Thanks to Chandrayaan, India's lunar programme will get a substantial boost. Our existing knowledge of the moon will be significantly enhanced," the prime minister tweeted.

On the importance of Chandrayaan-2, Modi said, the mission is unique because it will explore the south pole of lunar terrain and perform studies on the region which has not been explored and sampled by "any past mission".

"What would make every Indian overjoyed is the fact that Chandrayaan-2 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. Special moments that will be etched in the annals of our glorious history!" he wrorte on the microblogging site.

The prime minister also shared on Twitter pictures of him watching the launch on a large screen.

In his audio message, Modi congratulated ISRO chief K Sivan and the launch team, saying it is a matter of pride for all Indians.

"Last week, the launch had to be postponed due to technical reasons. You found the technical glitch with alacrity and took steps to solve it. And now, within a week you achieved success in the launch. You deserve a special congratulations for this," the prime minister said in the message.

It is an excellent example of the talent, capability and self-confidence of the scientists to take on any challenge, he said.

"The bigger the challenge, the intention gets equally big. I am told despite a delay of a week, the date of Chandrayaan-2 reaching the moon will remain the same," Modi said.

The prime minister pointed out that the mission team not only overcame the challenges faced during the previous launch, but has also decided to reach the moon in a shorter period of time.

He said it will be the first Indian spacecraft to reach the surface of moon and the country will become the fourth nation to land on the moon.

With this, Modi said, India will contribute to enhance the knowledge of humankind in the knowledge of lunar surface.