Chandrayaan-2 launch was called off due technical snag

The Indian Space Research Organisation has put off the launch of its second moon mission, Chandrayaan II, after it detected technical snags just an hour ahead of the launch in the early hours of Monday.

Around 2 am, an official from ISRO said the space agency would not be able to proceed with the launch within the slated window. The countdown was frozen at 56:24.

A technical snag was observed in launch vehicle system at T-56 minute. As a measure of abundant precaution, Chandrayaan 2 launch has been called off for today. Revised launch date will be announced later, read a statement from the space agency.

A battery of press corps and public had assembled at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota around midi night to cover the launch.

A source in ISRO said technical snags were noticed while fuelling the rocket with cryogenic fuel, adding that scientists need to approach the vehicle to assess the problem. “This process may take days and only after that we will decide on a launch date,” said a source.

The GSLV MK-III was slated to carrying an orbiter, lander and a rover in a stepped up moon mission to uncover lunar secrets launched into space.

The Chandrayaan-II, a Rs 978-crore project, will place the country in a niche league of nations populated by the US, Russia and China that have successfully conducted a moon-landing. Beyond that, the lander will touch in the region of the south pole of the moon, an unexplored territory, according to ISRO.

The target is find more evidence of water, clues about the moon’s evolution and work the natural satellite as a test bed for more space missions concerning the solar system.

Chandrayaan will primarily study the elements on the moon, map its topography through high-resolution pictures, study its minerals and most importantly, confirm sub-surface water/ice presence.