Mumbai: India’s space agency announced that the country’s Chandrayaan-2 mission to the Moon would launch on July 15.
The announcement was made by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman Dr K Sivan during a meeting at the agency’s headquarters on Wednesday.
“The launch of Chandrayaan-2 onboard GSLV ( Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) MkIII-M1 is planned on July 15, 2019 at 02.51 Hrs from Sriharikota,” he said.
He added: "Soft landing of Vikram lander on lunar surface is likely to be on September 6 2019."
Speaking about the difficult task of conducting a soft landing on the Moon, Dr Sivan called it “15 terrifying minutes.”
Earlier during the day, members of the press were given the opportunity to view Chandrayaan- 2 orbiter and lander at ISRO Satellite Integration and Test Establishment (ISITE), Bengaluru.
The briefing was followed by an extensive interactive session with the media.