Chandrayaan-2 Launch LIVE UPDATES: Countdown Begins for India’s Second Moon Mission Liftoff

A week after delaying the launch of Chandrayaan-2 few minutes before lift-off, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists today (22^nd July 2019) will make all possible efforts to send India’s first lander mission to the Moon.

A 20-hour countdown for the launch began at 6.43 pm on Sunday (21^st July 2019) for the planned launch at 2.43 pm today. Scientists, this time, have very little flexibility regarding time as the suitable slot in which the spacecraft can be launched lasts hardly a few minutes.

According to a former ISRO scientist, “The most suitable launch window this month (July) was between 9^th and 16^th July.  In these days, the time slot in which the mission could be launched extended to about an hour or more. But on Monday, this launch opportunity exists for just a couple of minutes. Thus, all operations in the run-up to the launch have to be finished with extreme precision. There is no room for any further delay. I am sure the mission control can do this”.

The scientist added that a similar narrow time slots were available on a few other days in July but after that, a suitable widow was available only in September.

ISRO chairman K Sivan told PTI that Chandrayaan-1 had divulged the presence of water molecules on the Moon & that there were chances of the latest mission returning successful scientific experiments.

The chairman also told that “It is due to these reasons that Chandrayaan-2 has attracted attention not only from Indian scientists but also international scientists”.

Chandrayaan-2: Date, Time and Venue

The launch of the three-component spacecraft, Chandrayaan-2 that weighs 3,850 kg and consists of an orbiter, the lander & the rover is planned from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, off the coast of Andhra Pradesh at 2.43 pm.

It must be noted that the launch was initially scheduled for 15^th July 2019, but scientists observed a sudden drop in the pressure in a chamber filled with helium gas with just two hours to go. And as they not able to immediately ascertain the reason and did not want to take chances with the prestigious mission, it decided to abort the launch.