Finally, it is official. India’s third moon mission – Chandrayaan-3 - is slated for July 14 afternoon and not on July 13.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), in a tweet on Thursday, said: “Announcing the launch of Chandrayaan-3: LVM3-M4/Chandrayaan-3 Mission:The launch is now scheduled for July 14, 2023, at 2:35 pm IST from SDSC, Sriharikota.”
In other words, the LVM3 rocket’s fourth mission is Chandrayaan-3.
The rockets will carry the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft weighing 3,900 kg or 3.9 ton, which is a tad lower than the total carrying capacity of LVM3 rocket.
Earlier, several media outlets had reported July 13 as the launch date for Chandrayaan-3.
“We have the launch window between July 12 and July 19. The exact date has not been finalised,” a senior Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) official, not wanting to be named, had told IANS.
Did the ISRO consider July 13 unlucky and decided the launch on July 14? The space agency officials might say otherwise, but it should be noted since 1993, the ISRO had never launched any one of its rockets - PSLV, GSLV, LVM3 or SSLV- on a 13th.
The ISRO, till now, was not able to explain the absence of the rocket named Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C13 (PSLV-C13). After sending up rocket PSLV-C12, the ISRO jumped one number ahead and called its next rocket, which launched Oceansat-2 and six European nano satellites, as PSLV-C14!
Queried about PSLV-C13, a high-ranking ISRO official told IANS: "There is no such rocket designated with that number." He declined to say if ISRO considered 13 an unlucky number.
The ISRO might not have considered July 15 as the launch date for Chandrayaan-3 as Chandrayaan-2 was originally slated for launch on July 15, 2019. However, owing to a technical problem at the last moment, the launch was postponed to July 22, 2019.
The Chandrayaan-3 comprises an orbiter or the propulsion module, a lander called Vikram, and a rover called Pragyan. The orbiter, or the propulsion module as the ISRO named it weighs 2,148 kg, and the lander, including the rover, 1,752 kg.
The main purpose of Chandrayaan-3 is to safely land the lander on the moon soil. Following that, the rover will roll out to do the experiments.
Operation Sindoor: PM Modi meets Rajnath Singh, NSA Doval and three service chiefs
In the backdrop of the ongoing ‘Operation Sindoor’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, and Chiefs of the Armed Forces and senior officials.
11 more Bangladeshi nationals held in Tripura
The Tripura Frontier of the Border Security Force (BSF), jointly with state police, on Friday apprehended 11 more Bangladeshi nationals, including four women and four children, officials said.
Railway Protection Force tightens security in NFR zone
In response to escalating security challenges across the country, Railway Protection Force (RPF) of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has significantly strengthened its security protocols at stations, trains and railway premises, an official said on Friday.
India opposes IMF lifeline for Pakistan due to terror financing risk
India strongly opposed further financial assistance from the IMF to Pakistan at the executive board meeting held on Friday, expressing serious concerns over Islamabad’s track record and the fact that the bailouts were enabling the cash-strapped country to sponsor cross-border terrorism.
Sirens echo across Jammu as 'blasts' trigger blackout; CM Omar Abdullah posts urgent advisory on social media
Jammu city plunged into darkness late Friday evening after a series of blasts were heard across the region, prompting authorities to sound emergency alarms and urge citizens to stay indoors.
Enough rice, wheat, sugar, oil and pulses stock, no need to panic: Pralhad Joshi
The government on Friday reiterated that there is no shortage of essential commodities in the country, and citizens are advised not to panic or rush to the markets to purchase food grains.
Indian carriers cancel flights to 24 airports till May 15 as tensions flare up
Indian carriers on Friday announced that flights to 24 airports had been cancelled till May 15, following a notification from aviation authorities on the continued closure of multiple airports in the country.
New low even for Pakistan: India hits out at Islamabad for targetting religious places
As Pakistani troops continued resorting to heavy mortar shelling on the Indian side along the Line of Control (LoC), India on Friday slammed the rogue nation for specifically targetting religious places labelling it as a "new low even for Pakistan".