India launches moon rover mission

The Indian Space Research Organization successfully launched a rocket Friday morning in the country's second attempt to land on the moon. Chandrayaan-3 holds an orbiter, a lander, and a rover that are designed to deploy at the south pole of the moon in late August, scientists said. India’s Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Jitendra Singh said the Chandrayaan-3 rover is equipped with tools to collect chemical and elemental data on lunar rocks and soil. India unsuccessfully tried landing a rover on the moon in 2019. So far, only United States, China, and the former Soviet Union have successfully landed vehicles on the moon.

Does India have a space program? Scientists established the Indian Space Research Organization in 1969 and have sent several satellites into orbit. The ISRO sent their first lunar probe, Chandrayaan-1, in 2008 to study moon craters in hopes of finding water. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said an Indian astronaut will also visit the International Space Station for the first time next year.

Dig deeper: Read Michael Cochrane’s report on private citizens from across the world getting involved in space exploration.