India's second moon mission aimed at more than just earning bragging rights

If all goes to plan, this mission will mark a string of firsts for Isro and India's space prowess

India's first lunar mission, Chandrayaan-1, orbited the moon in 2008, but did not land there. Come July 15 and the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) will launch a second mission, aimed at landing a rover on the surface of the moon, a feat that only the US, Russia and China have managed so far.  

The plan is for the 3.8-tonne Chandrayaan-2, weighing as much as eight adult elephants, to lift off from Isro's launch station Sriharikota, off the coast of Chennai, at precisely 2.51 a m. The landing of Chandrayaan-2 is expected on September 6 or 7. 

If all goes