India launched second lunar mission after it halted schedule blast off
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*NEW DELHI -India has launched its second lunar mission a week after it halted the scheduled blast-off due to a technical snag.*
Chandrayaan-2 was launched at 14:43 local time (09:13 GMT) on Monday from the Sriharikota space station.
The lift-off was broadcast live on TV and the space agency’s official social media accounts.
India hopes the $150m (£120m) mission will be the first to land on the Moon’s south pole.
The countdown on 15 July was stopped 56 minutes before launch after a “technical snag was observed in [the] launch vehicle system”, according to Isro. Indian media have reported that a leak from a helium gas bottle in the cryogenic engine of the rocket was to blame.
The fuel from the rocket was drained and the scientists resolved the glitch.
“It was a simple to fix [but it was] a serious problem that could have resulted in total failure,” said a source at Isro.
[image: Chandrayaan-2]
It added the spacecraft was ready “to take a billion dreams to the Moon – now stronger that ever before”.
The countdown on 15 July was stopped 56 minutes before launch after a “technical snag was observed in [the] launch vehicle system”, according to Isro. Indian media have reported that a leak from a helium gas bottle in the cryogenic engine of the rocket was to blame.
Isro thanked people for supporting the mission despite the delay.
