ISRO successfully completes launch rehearsal of Chandrayaan-2

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully completed the launch rehearsal of the Chandrayaan-2 mission on Saturday. The Mission is slated to launch on July 22.

"Launch rehearsal of #GSLVMkIII-M1 / #Chandrayaan2 mission completed, performance normal #ISRO," tweeted ISRO.

Chandrayaan-2 was scheduled to be launched on July 15. However, less than an hour before the launch, the mission was aborted after a technical snag was detected in the rocket.

Chandrayaan-2, which has home-grown technology, 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 it is expected to land on 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.