Sriharikota: The launch of Chandrayaan II has been called off at the last moment due to a technical snag in the launch vehicle, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said. The revised launch date will be announced later.
Moon rocket Chandrayaan 2, India’s most ambitious space mission yet. The powerful GSLV Mark III rocket was set to go up from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh at 2:51 am with a rover that would land on the moon in about two months’ time. However, after first being put on hold 56 minutes before blast-off, the launch was scrapped because of a “technical snag”, ISRO said.
The countdown was halted 56 minutes and 24 seconds before the planned lift off at 2:51 am. Sources said the snag was in the cryogenic stage or last stage of the rocket before it separates. ISRO had announced one hour before launch.
The snag was reportedly noticed when the cryogenic fuel was being loaded. The lift-off of the three-component spacecraft weighing 3,850 kg and comprising an orbiter, the lander and the rover was scheduled for 2:51 am from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The mission was to follow the successful maiden Lunar Mission Chandrayaan-1 launched in 2008.
The launch of Chandrayaan 2 has suffered multiple setbacks with ISRO missing many deadlines since 2018. It was scheduled to be launched in a window between January and mid-February this year, but was put off yet again.
HomeEntertainmentThe launch of Chandrayaan II has been called off at the last moment due to a technical snag
The launch of Chandrayaan II has been called off at the last moment due to a technical snag
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