India launches unmanned rocket to the moon

The Chandrayaan-3 rocket successfully took off from Sriharikota on the country’s southeast coast. The 14-day mission aims to explore the surface of the Moon with a mobile robot.

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The Chandrayaan-3 rocket took off from Sriharikota (India) on July 14, 2023. (R.SATISH BABU / AFP)

India launched an unmanned rocket to the Moon on Friday, July 14, where it will attempt for the second time to join the very exclusive club of countries that have succeeded in a controlled moon landing, according to the broadcast of live images. The Chandrayaan-3 rocket lifted off from Sriharikota, on the southeastern coast of the country, to the applause of thousands of enthusiasts.

If the mission is successful, the most populous country in the world, with more than 1.4 billion people, will join the successful moon landing club, which currently consists of only Russia, the United States and the United States. China. This 14-day mission costs 74.6 million dollars (66.5 million euros), according to the media. The goal is to successfully land a rover, a mobile robot, to explore the surface of the Moon.

A mission that carries “the dreams” of India, according to Modi

The latest attempt at India’s burgeoning program comes four years after a failure when the ground crew lost contact shortly before landing on the moon. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, currently in France, explained on Twitter that the space mission carried the “hopes and dreams” from India.

The previous moon landing attempt in 2019, which coincided with the 50th anniversary of Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s first moon landing, cost $140 million.


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