Cong congratulates ISRO for Chandrayaan launch

The Congress on Monday congratulated space agency ISRO for the successful launch of its second lunar mission Chandrayaan-2.

The party also remembered India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's initiative to set up the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and former PM Manmohan Singh for sanctioning the project in 2008.

India on Monday successfully launched Chandrayaan-2 on board its powerful rocket GSLV-MkIII-M1 from the Sriharikota spaceport to explore the unchartered south pole of the moon by landing a rover.

"Congratulations Team ISRO for the successful launch of Chandrayaan2," the Congress tweeted after the launch.

Party chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala expressed his gratitude to all the scientists and space engineers at ISRO, saying they have toiled day and night to make 130 crore Indians proud.

"This is a good time to remember the visionary move of India's first PM Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to fund space research through INCOSPAR in 1962 which later became ISRO. And also Dr Manmohan Singh for sanctioning the Chandrayan2 project in 2008," the Congress said.

The geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle lifted-off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 2.43 pm and successfully placed the 3,850-kg Chandrayaan-2 into the earth orbit about 16 minutes later.

"India's 'Tryst With Destiny' continues with the successful launch of Chandraayan2. There are defining moments like these that make us a great nation. My gratitude to all scientists and space engineers at ISRO who have toiled day and night to make 130 Crore Indians proud," Surjewala said on Twitter.

The mission's success brought in huge relief for ISRO scientists after the July 15 launch was called off just about an hour left following a technical glitch in the rocket.

The Rs 978 crore mission, that will mark a giant leap in India's space research and make it only the fourth country to have landed a rover on Moon, was rescheduled to Monday after scientists corrected the technical glitch in the three-stage rocket.