This week will mark the beginning of India’s second attempt at a highly dangerous moon landing.
On Friday, July 14, at 5:05 a.m. EDT (0905 GMT, or 2:35 p.m. local time on July 14), the nation’s Chandrayaan-3 mission, whose name means “moon vehicle” in Sanskrit, will blast out towards the moon.
A lunar lander known as Vikram (Sanskrit for “Valour”) is part of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft. It has four instruments to record thermal conductivity and detect moonquakes near the landing location, among other measurements.
If the mission is successful, India will join the United States, the former Soviet Union, and China as the only other nations to successfully soft-land a spacecraft on the moon. Due to its allegedly plentiful water ice, which will serve as a crucial resource for upcoming crewed trips to the moon and Mars, India may also set a record for being the first nation to land close to the south pole of the moon.
India has to complete the Chandrayaan-3 project, which would cost approximately 6 billion rupees ($73 million), as it is one of many nations trying to achieve the moon landing milestone.