Sriharikota, India — India is ready to launch a rocket to the far side of the moon a week after aborting the mission due to a technical problem.
The Indian Space Research Organization said Monday that fueling the 640-ton rocket launcher with liquid oxygen had begun in preparation for the Chandrayaan-2 mission liftoff scheduled for 2:43 p.m., a day after scientists celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission that put American astronauts on the moon.
Chandrayaan, the Sanskrit word for "moon craft," is designed to land on the lunar south pole and send a rover to explore water deposits that were confirmed by a previous mission that orbited the moon.
India's launch a week ago was called off less than an hour before liftoff due to a "technical snag."
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)'s Geosynchronous Satellite launch Vehicle (GSLV) MkIII carrying Chandrayaan-2 stands at Satish Dhawan Space Center after the mission was aborted at the last minute at Sriharikota, in southern India. File picture: Manish Swarup/AP
An Indian spectator folds Indian national flag as others leave after the Chandrayaan-2 mission was aborted at Sriharikota, in southern India. The Chandrayaan-2 mission was aborted less than an hour before takeoff last Monday. An Indian Space Research Organization spokesman said a "technical snag" was observed in the 640-ton launch-vehicle system. File picture: Manish Swarup/AP
