ISRO all set for July 15 2:51 AM launch of ambitious Chandrayaan-2

Bengaluru, July 13: K Sivan is optimistic about the launch of Chandrayaan-2 on July 15 and the ISRO chief's exuberance is evident. "We are going to launch the most prestigious mission Chandrayaan-2," Sivan said today.

GSLV-Mk-3 with Chandrayaan-2's three modules is ready for launch and even the reverse countdown has begun. On July 15 at 2.51 am, the 'Bahubali' will soar towards the sky.

"On 15 July at 2:51 am, we are going to launch the most prestigious mission Chandrayaan-2. GSLV MK-III being used for the mission. After successful launch, it'll take nearly 2 months to go and land on Moon near South Pole," ISRO Chief K Sivan said.

This will be India's first attempt at a soft landing on the moon. If successful, it will make the country the fourth to achieve such a feat, after Russia, the US and China. All previous lunar crafts have landed near the equator and this is the first time one will land near the south pole.

Chandrayaan-2 is an advanced version of the previous Chandrayaan-1 mission, which was launched about 10 years ago. Chandrayaan-2 will attempt to soft land its Vikram module on the lunar surface and deploy a six-wheeled Rover, Pragyaan on the Moon to carry out several scientific experiments.