India launches moon mission on second attempt
NEW DELHI — Varunavi Sreejith, 13, gaped at the screen in front of her, inching to the edge of her seat as the clock ticked down to 2:43 p.m. When Chandrayaan-2, India’s second lunar mission, took off, she jumped up, clapping, a bright smile lighting up her face.
“I am very proud and relieved,” Varunavi said. A student at JBM Global, one of India’s only high schools offering a curriculum dedicated to space exploration, she had stayed after school to watch the live-streamed launch in the auditorium.
She wasn’t alone. Hundreds of thousands of Indians across the country went online to watch the nation’s most ambitious space mission to date. On Facebook, the live launch had more than 650,000 viewers. Over 7,500 people registered to travel to Satish Dhawan Space Center off the country’s southeastern coast to witness it in person.
After what it called a “technical snag” aborted the first launch attempt a week ago, the Indian Space Research Organization got Chandrayaan-2 on its journey to the moon Monday afternoon in a testament to the country’s burgeoning capabilities in space. Its lander will attempt to descend onto the lunar surface in the first week of September to collect information on topography and look for water.
The space agency has “bounced back with flying colors,” ISRO chief K. Sivan said after the launch. “It is the beginning of a historical journey for India.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet, “The launch of Chandrayaan-2 illustrates the prowess of our scientists and the determination of Indians to scale new frontiers of science.”
With Chandrayaan-2, India is attempting a soft landing on the moon — a feat accomplished by only three other countries: the United States, Russia and China. It also hopes to be the first to land in the uncharted south pole region. In its first moon outing with Chandrayaan-1, India was instrumental in the discovery of water molecules on its surface.