ISRO Chandrayaan-3 launch: LVM3 lifts off successfully, expected to reach Moon on August 23

India launched its ambitious Chandrayaan-3 mission to the Moon successfully on Friday. The spacecraft was launched aboard India's heaviest rocket, Launch Vehicle Mark-III a.k.a LVM3, on a journey to the Moon, by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The spacecraft will complete the 3,84,000 kilometers long journey in nearly 45 days to attempt a soft-landing on the Moon by August-end.

Television footage showed LVM3 launch rocket blast off, leaving behind a plume of smoke and fire. A success would make India only the fourth country to achieve the feat after the United States, China and erstwhile USSR.

Chandrayaan-3 is the third lunar exploration mission in the fourth operational mission (M4) of LVM3 launcher, formerly the GSLVMkIII rocket. "If everything goes normal then landing on the moon is expected on August 23 at around 5:47 pm IST," said ISRO chief S Somanath.

The 25.30 hour countdown for the lift off commenced at 1.05 pm on Thursday. "Chandrayaan-3 scripts a new chapter in India's space odyssey. It soars high, elevating the dreams and ambitions of every Indian. This momentous achievement is a testament to our scientists' relentless dedication. I salute their spirit and ingenuity," tweeted PM Narendra Modi who is currently on a state visit to France.

The liftoff of LVM3-M4 rocket, dubbed as 'Fat boy' by the space scientists for its ability to carry heavy payloads, happened at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota situated about 135 km from Chennai.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission is designed to deploy a lander and rover near the moon's south pole around August 23. Only three other space agencies - the United States, the former Soviet Union and China - have touched down a lander on the moon's surface. None have landed near the lunar south pole.

The third Chandrayaan, which means "moon vehicle" in Sanskrit, includes a 2m tall lander designed to deploy a rover near the lunar south pole, where it is expected to remain functional for two weeks running a series of experiments. ISRO's Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2020 successfully deployed an orbiter but its lander and rover were destroyed in a crash near where the Chandrayan-3 will attempt a touchdown.

Over 1.4 million people watched the launch on ISRO's YouTube channel, many offering congratulations and the patriotic slogan "Jai Hind".

In 2020, ISRO's Chandrayaan-2 mission successfully deployed an orbiter but its lander and rover were destroyed in a crash near where the Chandrayan-3 will attempt a touchdown.

"As Mother India enters into the next 25 years, she pledges to play a leading global role in the emerging world scenario," Deputy Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh said in an event at the spaceport to celebrate the launch.

Since 2020, when India opened to private launches, the number of space startups has more than doubled. Late last year, Skyroot Aerospace, whose investors include Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC, launched India's first privately built rocket.

With inputs from Reuters