NEW DELHI – India’s ambitious lunar probe mission, Chandrayaan 2 faces abig setback yet again.

Technical glitches has postponed the launch for next year. After severaldelays, the launch date of Chandrayaan-2 was finally set in October but ithas now been shifted to next year.

The new delay may give Israel a chance to become the fourth country to makea soft landing on the moon’s surface. Israel, through a non-profit groupnamed SpaceIL, plans to land an unmanned spacecraft on the moon in Februaryin the first landing of its kind since 2013.

So far, only four countries – the US, Russi and China – have successfullylanded rovers on Moon with last being China’s Chang’e 3 in December 2013.If Indian ISRO is successful in its ‘Chandrayaan-2’ mission beforeFebruary, India will be only the fourth country to do so.

However, it is unlikely that ISRO would succeed in beating Israel.According to an NDTV report, the launch date for Chandryaan-2 “is slippingto 2019”, Dr M Annadurai, Director of UR Rao Satellite Centre said. ISROnow plans to land the rover in February next year and rocket launch islikely to take place in January.

Dr Annadurai said that the mission will now use GSLV MK-III rocket insteadof GSLV MK-II as the weight of the Chandrayaan-2 rover has increased.

“The rover is also being tested in a simulated lunar terrain environment.All things put together we will be able to manage end of this year to rollout all the three combinations from the ISRO Satellite Center in Bengaluruto Sriharikota,” Dr Annadurai told the TV channel.