Thousands of people have gathered to witness the launch of the Chandrayaan-2 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 2.43 pm today at Sriharikota in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh.
Vinoy Krishna, Professor and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Enthusiast, said, "This mission would be a trendsetter or a watershed for India. Our country will display its ability to soft-land on any extra-terrestrial surface. This will be a beginning to many more such missions."
"China is also doing its share of lunar missions where they are planning to bring some sample from the moon surface. This mission will happen sometime next year. They are going to test that sample to check whether it's worthy of bringing some more sample from the surface of the moon. This should also be a goal for India's next missions," he further added.
Amidst high security at the centre, many people were seen capturing the historical moment in their smartphones. Some school children have come dressed as scouts, others have come with flags in their hands.
Chandrayaan-2 will explore a region of Moon where no mission has ever set foot. The spacecraft consists of an orbiter, a lander, and a rover together referred to as "composite body." The probe's total mass is 3.8 ton and is expected to land on the Moon's south polar region on September 6 or 7 this year.
It will be the first Indian expedition to attempt a soft landing on the lunar surface. This mission will make India the fourth country after the US, Russia, and China to carry out a soft landing on Moon.
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