Nasa, global media hail ISRO after Chandrayaan 2 successful launch

Washington, July 23: Hours after India's Chandrayaan-2 lifted off, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for the successful launch of its second moon mission.

The US space agency added they were looking forward to find out what the Indian space agency learns about the lunar south pole.

Taking to Twitter, Nasa wrote,"Congrats to Isro on the launch of Chandrayaan 2, a mission to study the Moon. We're proud to support your mission comms using our Deep Space Network and look forward to what you learn about the lunar South pole where we will send astronauts on our #Artemis mission in a few years."

The launch of India's second moon mission also garnered attention by global media with a leading US newspaper writing "India is on its way to the moon".

Isro's powerful rocket GSLV MkIII M1 lifted off from the spaceport in Sriharikota at 2.43 PM and successfully placed the 3,850-kg Chandrayaan-2 into the earth orbit about 16 minutes later. The spacecraft is also carrying an instrument from NASA and ISRO will not charge any ticket for carrying the foreign instrument all the way to the Moon.

ISRO's budget is less than 1/20th of NASA. The success of the Rs. 1,000-crore moon mission would be a giant boost for India's space plans.

In May, NASA unveiled its schedule for the "Artemis" program that will return astronauts to the Moon for the first time in half a century. The original lunar missions were named for Apollo -- Artemis was his twin sister in Greek mythology, and the goddess of hunting, wilderness and the Moon.