India’s Space Agency Launches Rocket, Advances Position as Major Space Power
BENGALURU, July 14 – India’s space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), successfully launched a rocket on Friday, propelling a spacecraft into orbit and setting it on a trajectory towards a planned landing on the lunar south pole next month. This achievement marks an unprecedented feat for India and enhances its position as a major space power.
The ISRO’s LVM3 launch rocket took off from the country’s primary spaceport in Andhra Pradesh on Friday afternoon, leaving a trail of smoke and fire behind. Approximately 16 minutes later, mission control announced that the rocket had successfully placed the Chandrayaan-3 lander into an Earth orbit, which will ultimately guide it to a controlled lunar landing in August.
If the mission succeeds, India will join an exclusive group of countries, including the United States, the former Soviet Union, and China, which have successfully achieved a controlled lunar landing. Additionally, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft will make history by becoming the first to land at the lunar south pole. This region is of particular interest to space agencies and private space companies due to the presence of water ice, which could potentially support future space exploration and habitation.
The rocket launch took place at 2:35 p.m. local time, captivating the attention of over 1.4 million viewers on ISRO’s YouTube channel. Many spectators offered their congratulations and expressed patriotism with the slogan “Jai Hind” (Victory to India).
This mission comes after a setback in 2019 when the ISRO’s Chandrayaan-2 mission successfully deployed an orbiter but experienced a crash that destroyed its lander and rover near the intended landing site for the upcoming Chandrayaan-3 mission.
Chandrayaan-3, which means “moon vehicle” in Sanskrit, includes a 2-meter-tall lander designed to deploy a rover near the moon’s south pole. The rover is expected to operate for two weeks, conducting a series of experiments. The lunar landing is scheduled to occur on August 23, according to ISRO.
The launch of Chandrayaan-3 marks India’s first major mission since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government introduced policies to stimulate investment in space launches and related satellite-based businesses. Modi expressed his optimism on Twitter, stating that the moon mission “will carry the hopes and dreams of our nation.”
Deputy Minister of State for Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh, proclaimed during an event at the spaceport celebrating the launch that “as Mother India enters into the next 25 years, she pledges to play a leading global role in the emerging world scenario.”
Since 2020, when India opened up to private launches, the number of space startups has more than doubled. In late 2022, Skyroot Aerospace, whose investors include Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC, successfully launched India’s first privately built rocket.
India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission is a testament to the country’s ambitions in space exploration and its dedication to becoming a dominant player in the global space industry.
Reporting by Nivedita Bhattacharjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Kevin Krolicki, Jamie Freed, and Mark Heinrich