India Launches Chandrayaan-2 Unmanned Lunar Exploration Mission Successfully - ISRO

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) conducted on Monday a successful launch of the Chandrayaan-2 unmanned lunar exploration mission with a small lunar rover on board

NEW DELHI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd July, 2019) The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) conducted on Monday a successful launch of the Chandrayaan-2 unmanned lunar exploration mission with a small lunar rover on board.

The launch was broadcast live on the ISRO website.

The launch was postponed to July 22 from July 15 over technical problems. While the exact nature of the malfunction was not disclosed officially, several media outlets reported about a leak in the helium tank of the GSLV Mk-III carrier rocket's cryogenic engine.

The Chandrayaan-2 is India's second lunar exploration mission, preceded by the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, which was sent to the Moon in 2008. The first spacecraft comprised a lunar orbiter and a lander, while the more advanced second mission is equipped with an orbiter, a lander and a rover, which will study the mineralogical and chemical composition of the lunar surface.

The Chandrayaan-2's launch was originally scheduled for April 2018 but then was postponed several times for undisclosed reasons.