India's Chandrayaan-3 Sets Course for Moon Landing, Aims to Put Nation on Lunar Map

India's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft has successfully lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, embarking on a mission to land a rover on the moon's surface, according to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

The spacecraft, named after the Sanskrit word for "moon craft," is expected to land on the moon's surface later in August if all goes according to plan. This is India's second attempt to land a rover on the moon, after its previous mission, Chandrayaan-2, failed in 2019 due to a software glitch.

If successful, India will become the fourth country, following the United States, the former Soviet Union, and China, to achieve a moon landing.

The lander and rover module of Chandrayaan-3 are equipped with payloads that will provide valuable data on the lunar soil and rocks, including their chemical and elemental compositions.

The mission's main objective is to achieve a safe and soft landing on the moon, which has been a challenge for previous attempts. This mission is part of India's growing ambitions in space exploration and its desire to establish a long-term presence on the moon.

India's space sector could potentially become a trillion-dollar economy in the coming years, according to Dr. Jitendra Singh, junior minister for Science and Technology.