Nation awaits as ISRO counts down to launch of Chandrayaan-3 mission today

 The upcoming Chandrayaan-3 mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is scheduled to take off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, at 2.35 PM IST on Friday, July 14.

The mission follows Chandrayaan-2 where scientists aim to demonstrate various capabilities including reaching the orbit of the moon, making a soft-landing on the lunar surface using a lander, and a rover coming out of the lander to study the surface of the moon.

According to scientists, after the lift-off at 2.35 pm on Friday, around 16 minutes after lift-off, propulsion module is expected to get separated from the rocket and would orbit the earth for about 5-6 times in an elliptical cycle with 170 km closest and 36,500 km farthest from earth moving towards the lunar orbit.

To witness the event live, you can watch the streaming of the launch on ISRO’s official website and YouTube channel.  

Chandrayaan-3 Launch: Timeline of Chandrayaan missions undertaken by ISRO

Here is the timeline of the moon mission as undertaken by the Indian Space Research Organisation.

August 15, 2003: Then Prime Minister, the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee announces the Chandrayaan programme.

October 22, 2008: Chandrayaan-1 takes off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.

November 8, 2008: Chandrayaan-1 enters a Lunar Transfer Trajectory.

November 14, 2008: The Moon impact probe ejects from Chandrayaan-1 and crashes near the lunar South Pole — confirming the presence of water molecules on Moon’s surface.

August 28, 2009: End of Chandrayaan 1 programme as per ISRO.

July 22, 2019: Chandrayaan-2 launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

August 20, 2019: Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft inserted into lunar orbit.

September 2, 2019: Vikram Lander was separated while orbiting the moon in a 100kms lunar polar orbit, however, communication from the lander to the ground stations was lost at an altitude of 2.1 km from the surface of the moon.

July 14, 2023: Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft scheduled to lift off from the second launchpad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

August 23/24, 2023: Scientists at ISRO have tentatively scheduled soft landing on the lunar surface expected to take place by August 23-24 making India join elite nations to achieve the feat. 

As India prepares for its third lunar mission, Chandrayaan 3, popular actors Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, and Suniel Shetty have taken to social media to express their support and admiration for ISRO scientists and the country. Suniel Shetty conveyed his wishes for “astronomical” success to ISRO, while Akshay Kumar emphasized that it is a moment to rise.

The highly anticipated launch of Chandrayaan 3 will take place on Friday at 2:35 pm, with the “Fat boy” LVM3-M4 rocket carrying the mission to the moon. The actors’ messages serve as an encouragement to the scientists and reflect the nation’s anticipation and enthusiasm for the upcoming moon mission.