Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh): Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 lifted off today afternoon at 2.35 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The mission is India’s third lunar exploration mission and its goal is to soft-land a lander and rover on the moon. The spacecraft was launched on a GSLV Mark-3 rocket ‘Bahubali’. The lander named ‘Vikram’ carried the rover, ‘Pragyan’. The rover will be tasked with exploring the lunar surface for signs of water and other resources.

Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-up to the 2019 Chandrayaan-2 mission. It was successful in sending an orbiter and a lander to the moon, but the lander crashed during its final descent.

ISRO has made several changes to the Chandrayaan-3 mission. The lander has been redesigned to make it more stable during its descent.

The lander weighs about 2.4 tonnes and is equipped with a 10-foot-long robotic arm while the rover weighs about 270 kilograms and is equipped with a variety of instruments. The mission is expected to cost around Rs. 615 crore. GSLV Mark-3 rocket is India’s most powerful launch vehicle, capable of carrying a payload of up to 4 tonnes. The lander Vikram is named after Vikram Sarabhai, the father of India’s space programme. The rover Pragyan is named after the Sanskrit word for ‘wisdom’.