WATCH: Chandrayaan 3 mission director overwhelmed after successful launch of ISRO mission

India’s shot at the moon was a vision to behold as ISRO launched the country’s third moon mission, Chandrayaan 3 on Friday. The team was all smiles after the successful launch of the Chandrayaan 3 mission. 

Chandrayaan 3 mission director Mohan Kumar and ISRO chief S Somanath shared the stage after the launch. Their excitement was palpable and both Kumar and Somanath were at a loss for words in a heartwarming video that captured their reaction after the launch.

“Seeing it (Chandrayaan 3) at this stage is also a…perfectly…actually…” laughed Kumar, who appeared giddy with excitement. Somanath joined in and said that they will describe all the details later.

Kumar then took over the mic again and thanked all the mission executives, and his speech trailed off again, as he could not help his excitement. Kumar continued to thank the small companies who supplied all the deliverables on time.

Chandrayaan 3 project director P Veeramuthuvel also shared the stage and thanked all the stakeholders who made the mission a success. “Our journey to the moon has begun now for the most-awaited soft-landing,” said Veeramuthuvel. The spacecraft will be closely  monitored from Bengaluru. 

Chandrayaan 3 was launched on a GSLV Mark 3 (LVM3) heavy lift launch vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The propulsion module will take the Vikram lander and the Pragyaan rover into a 100 km circular polar lunar orbit before separating in August. 

Also read: ISRO Chandrayaan-3 launch: LVM3 lifts off successfully, aims to reach Moon by August-end

Vikram lander will first touchdown with Pragyaan rover in the South polar region of the Moon, around August-end. Chandrayaan 3’s Vikram lander and Pragyaan rover are designed to operate for one lunar daylight period, equivalent to 14 Earth days.

The celebrations around Chandrayaan 3 assume all the more importance, considering the fate of its predecessor Chandrayaan 2. Launched on July 22, 2019 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Chandrayaan 2’s Vikram lander was scheduled to land near the South Pole of the Moon between two craters, Manzinus C and Simpelius N, on September 7. However, contact was lost during the descent at an altitude of about 2.1 km. Vikram lander crashed on the surface but apparently remained in one piece. All communication operations thereon became impossible. 

Also read: Meet ISRO scientist Ritu Karidhal Srivastava, the mastermind behind Chandrayaan-3: Top points

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