ISRO calls off Chandrayaan-2 launch after technical snag, next date soon

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ISRO calls off Chandrayaan-2 launch after technical snag, next date soon
ISRO calls off Chandrayaan-2 launch after technical snag, next date soon

Hyderabad : ISRO called off the launch of Chandrayaan-2, India's second mission to moon, 56 minutes before the scheduled time on Monday morning. 

The GSLV Mark III carrying the orbiter, lander, and rover was scheduled to take off at 02:51 am from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, the country’s only launch site.

The space agency quoted technical snag as the reason after liquid hydrogen in the cryogenic upper stage of the rocket. 

“A technical snag was observed in launch vehicle system at 1 hour before the launch. As a measure of abundant precaution, #Chandrayaan2 launch has been called off for today. Revised launch date will be announced later,” a statement from the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) said.

There are four suitable dates in the month of July when Chandrayaan 2 can be sent into the space. July 15 and 16 and then again during new moon on July 29 and 30. 

The launch is unlikely to happen during the next three windows in July.

“The stages will now have to be drained to see what went wrong,” said an official, on condition of anonymity.

The next window for launch will be in September.

Chandrayaan 2 mission will make India the fourth country after the US, USSR, and China to land on moon. It will also be the first mission in the world to land near the lunar South Pole to look for water and cold traps with history of the solar system.