Last-minute moon mission glitch sets India back in global space race

It may take several months for India to be able to attempt a launch again, said Susmita Mohanty, co-founder and chief executive officer of Earth2Orbit

India was forced to put on hold its second mission to the moon after discovering a glitch at the last moment, a setback to its ambitious plan to become the first nation to land on the south pole of Earth’s closest neighbor.

The mission, called Chandrayaan-2, which means “moon vehicle” in Sanskrit, was canceled 56 minutes before its scheduled launch early Monday morning because of “a technical snag,” the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.

ISRO, the nation’s equivalent of NASA, will reschedule the launch. A spokesman didn’t return calls seeking details about the new timeline and the glitch.