Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Feb 3: The Indian Space & Research Organisation (ISRO) plans to launch Chandrayaan-3 in August this year, two years after its second Moon mission ended fatally on the lunar surface. The Department of Space revealed the timeline in answer to inquiries in the Lok Sabha about the Moon mission’s delay.
Work on Chandrayaan-3 is proceeding, according to the Department of Space, based on lessons learned from the Chandrayaan-2 mission and ideas from global experts. The department also stated that all needed testing have been completed, and that the launch will take place in August 2022.
Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of Science and Technology, responded to inquiries about the mission’s continual delays by saying that the Covid-19 outbreak had impacted other ongoing missions.
“Project reprioritization has occurred in the context of space sector reforms and newly adopted demand-driven models,” the minister responded.
The Chandrayaan-3 project builds on the findings of the first Chandrayaan mission, which launched in October 2008 and found indications of water on the lunar surface. The lunar probe, which was supposed to launch in 2021, was postponed owing to the pandemic.
Notably, the third lunar mission arrives two years after Chandrayaan-2 crashed into the Moon’s far side. The orbiter, which is still hovering above the lunar surface while the lander and rover crashed, will be used by Isro with Chandrayaan-3 as well.