Stage all set for launch of Chandrayaan-3, from Sriharikota this afternoon

Indian space research organisation is all set for the launch of the third moon mission, Chandrayaan at 2.35 pm today. The countdown began at 1.05 in the afternoon yesterday and has been progressing smoothly. The  43.5 metre tall rocket LVM 3 weighing 642 tons and carrying Chandrayaan 3  will lift off from the second launch pad of the Sathish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikota.

This is the fourth operational flight of LVM3 and aims to launch the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft to Geo Transfer Orbit just 16 minutes after take off. The weather condition is favourable for the launch schedule. 

The process of filling up the liquid and cryogenic stages has almost reached the last stages of readiness.  The rocket will have a solid stage followed by a liquid fuel and the third and final stage being



the cryogenic stage powered by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.

The satellite will travel in an elliptical path ensuring its correct path to reach the moon in a  month's time travelling 3 lakh 84 thousand kilometre distance. The lander carried by spacecraft is expected to make a soft landing after thirty days.. The rover weighing 26 kilograms will conduct the experiments on the lunar surface . The mission is to study Earth from lunar orbit and to measure the near-surface and its density changes. 

The mission is also to carry out measurements of the thermal properties of the lunar surface near the polar region and look out for lunar seismic activity around the landing site and delineate the structure of the lunar crust and mantle.