Chandrayaan -3 to be launched on July 14 from Sriharikota in Tirupati
Chandrayaan - 3
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that the launch of Chandrayaan-3 will take place on the 14th of this month. Initially, it was scheduled for the 12th and then postponed to the 13th before the latest update. The launch is now set for 2.35 pm on the 14th.
The decision to launch the mission close to the moon's proximity to Earth has been made, along with the resolution of minor technical issues. Notably, the previous Chandrayaan-2 mission was also launched on July 15, 2019. The rocket for Chandrayaan-3 has been completed at the Second Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) in SHAR, and the process of moving it from the VAB to the launch pad was successfully completed on Thursday morning.
Unlike the PSLV rocket, which has four stages, the GSLV rocket used for this mission has only three stages. The GSLV-Mark-2 rocket is slightly heavier than the PSLV and can carry satellites weighing up to 2,000 kg. The LVM Mark-3 rocket, on the other hand, is the most powerful and is designed similar to the French Guiana Kouru Space Station's Ariane-5 rocket.
The LVM Mark-3 rocket can easily carry satellites weighing between 3,000 kg and 6,000 kg into space. It is equipped with two powerful strapon boosters, each containing 200 tons of solid fuel. The first stage is completed with 400 tonnes of solid fuel from the two strapon boosters. The second stage carries 110 tons of liquid fuel (L-110), and the third stage carries 25 tons of cryogenic fuel (C-25).
The final mission readiness meeting will be held on the 11th, after which the official launch time and countdown will be announced. Currently, it is confirmed that the launch will take place on the 14th of this month.
The LVM3-M4 rocket has a launch weight of 640 tons. Chandrayaan-3, weighing 3,900 kg, will carry the satellite towards space. The satellite consists of a propulsion module weighing 2,148 kg, a lander weighing 1,752 kg, and a rover weighing 26 kg. Approximately 60 percent of the work related to this mission has been accomplished with the assistance of 120 private industries in India.