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Launch of India’s second moon mission postponed
Why it is in news?
- The launch of India’s second mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-2, may be delayed till January 2019, according to a top official.
- The ambitious mission was supposed to be launched in April, and was later fixed for October.
- The postponement comes in the wake of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) facing quick setbacks.
Previous setbacks
- Earlier this year, the ISRO had launched GSAT-6A, a military communication satellite, but lost communication with it.
- ISRO also recalled the launch of GSAT-11 from Kourou, French Guiana, for additional technical checks.
- Last September, the PSLV- C39 mission, carrying the IRNSS-1H navigation satellite, failed after the heat shield refused to open and release the satellite.
Chandrayaan-2
- It is also ISRO’s first mission to land on any celestial body.
- Chandrayaan-2 will be ISRO’s first time attempt to land a rover, on the Moon.
- The rover, costing nearly Rs. 800 crore , will be made to land near the yet-unexplored south pole of the moon.