NPR

India Launches Mission To The Moon On Its 2nd Try

If Chandrayaan-2 reaches the moon as planned, India would become the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface, after the United States, Russia and China.

India is celebrating the successful launch of its Chandrayaan-2 rocket, which has now started its journey to the moon. It's India's second attempt to launch the unmanned lunar mission and to further its dreams of space exploration.

Chandrayaan-2, which means "moon craft" in ancient Sanskrit, as planned at 2:43 p.m. from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on India's southeastern coast. It is expected to make a soft landing in the moon's south pole region in early September — a feat that would make India the fourth country to make a controlled landing on the moon's surface, after the United States, Russia and China.

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