SOURCE: API
As per an official announcement, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch its highly-anticipated Chandrayaan-3 mission, as well as the Aditya L1 mission, to the Moon and the Sun, respectively, in July.
ISRO has been working diligently on Chandrayaan-3, a follow-up to the highly successful Chandrayaan-2 mission that was launched in 2019. The goal of the mission is to land a lunar rover on the Moon’s south pole, a region that remains unexplored to date. The mission will also aim to conduct various scientific experiments to better understand the Moon’s topography, mineralogy, and atmosphere.
In addition, the Aditya L1 mission will mark India’s first-ever dedicated mission to study the Sun. The satellite will be placed in a halo orbit around the Lagrange point 1 (L1), a gravitationally stable point between the Sun and the Earth. The mission will aim to study the Sun’s corona, which is the outermost layer of its atmosphere, as well as its magnetic field and solar winds.
The official announcement of the July launch comes after several delays due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and other technical issues. With the launch now scheduled for July, India is set to take a major leap forward in its space exploration program and contribute significantly to the global scientific community’s understanding of the Moon and the Sun.