India’s second mission to the moon — Chandrayaan-2 — was launched by Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, 2.43 pm on Monday, a week after the lift-off was aborted at the eleventh hour due to a technical snag.

Congratulating the team who made the mission possible, Isro chief Dr K Sivan said, “After a technical snag, we bounced back with flying colours.” In his address after the Chandrayaan-2 launch, Sivan said there will be 15 “very crucial manouvres” in the next one-and-half months before the satellite is brought around the moon.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that Chandrayaan2 is unique because it will explore and perform studies on the south pole region of lunar terrain which is not explored and sampled by any past mission.

The lunar landing mission was rescheduled for July 22 after scientists corrected the glitch in the rocket.

Read highlights here:

06:02 pm IST ISRO has yet again accomplished a mammoth feat: Akshay Kumar #ISRO has yet again accomplished a mammoth feat. Salute to the team who have spent countless days ensuring the success of #Chandrayaan2 @isro — Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) July 22, 2019





05:38 pm IST Virat Kohli congratulates ISRO for the achievement Indian cricketer Virat Kohli took to twitter to congratulate ISRO after successful launch of Chandrayaan-2. Another historic and proud moment for the nation as the #Chandrayaan 2 is launched 🙏🏻 Jai Hind 🇮🇳#ISRO #IndiaMoonMission — Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) July 22, 2019





5:18 pm IST After Chandrayaan-2, ISRO plans mission for Sun next year After Chandrayaan-2, the ISRO has planned launch of its solar mission, Aditya-L1, in the first half of 2020 to study the Sun’s corona, according to the space agency. Aditya-L1 is meant to observe the corona, which are the outer layers of the Sun, extending to thousands of kilometres, reported PTI.





5.11 pm IST US embassy lauds India after ‘giant leap’ The US embassy tweeted to congratulate India after the Chandrayaan-2 lift off on Monday. Congratulations #ISRO on today’s giant leap! Next stop – the moon🌒! #Chandrayaan2 🚀 #CantWaitToSeeWhatYouDoNext #GSLVMkIII pic.twitter.com/pdOHk3fs0d — U.S. Embassy India (@USAndIndia) July 22, 2019





4.52 pm IST Historic achievement, tweets Arvind Kejriwal Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal congratulationed ISRO scientists for the successful launch of Chandrayaan2. “The country is proud of the historic achievement of our scientists.” he tweeted.





4.39 pm IST Congress congratulates Isro, remembers Nehru The Congress congratulated ISRO for the successful launch of Chandrayaan-2. The Congress also recalled India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru’s initiative to set up ISRO and lauded former PM Manmohan Singh for sanctioning the project in 2008.





4.18 pm IST Chandrayaan-2, a Rs 978 crore mission to moon Chandrayaan-2, the Rs 978 crore mission to the moon, marks a great leap for India and establishes it as a space power. India now becomes only the fourth country to have landed a rover on moon.





4.05 pm IST Shah Rukh Khan conratulates ‘Team Isro’ on Chandrayaan-2 Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan lauded the hard work put in by scientists at Isro for the successful launch of Chandrayaan-2. Chaand Taare todh laoon. Saari duniya par main Chhaoon! To do that requires hours & hours of painstaking work & integrity & belief. Congratulations to the team at #ISRO for #Chandrayaan2 — Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) July 22, 2019





3:45 pm IST Grateful nation proud of Isro scientists: Amit Shah India’s Union Home Minister Amit Shah lauded team of scientists at Isro for setting another benchmark in the field of space technology. “I congratulate our scientists at Isro for the successful launch of #Chandrayaan2 and setting yet another benchmark in the field of space technology. A grateful nation is proud of them. I also thank PM Modi ji for encouraging our institutions for setting new standards everytime,” Amit Shah tweeted after Chandrayaan-2 was launched.





3:42 pm IST Isro team has scripted a new chapter in India’s space history: Rajnath Singh Defence minister Rajnath Singh congratulated ISRO scientists on flawless launch of Chandrayaan-2 today and said that the team has scripted a new chapter in India’s space history. “Congratulations to ISRO scientists on flawless launching of #Chandrayaan2 from Sriharikota. Team ISRO scripted a new chapter in India’s space history with the launch of this ambitious and indigenous Mission to Moon.The nation is extremely proud of its scientists and Team ISRO,” Singh tweeted, minutes after the launch.





3:39 pm IST Sushma Swaraj salutes Isro after Chandrayaan-2 launch India’s former foreign affairs minister Sushma Swaraj saluted Isro’s scientists for making India a space super power by successfully launching Chandrayaan-2 on Monday afternoon. “I salute Isro scientists for making India a space super power by successfully launching #Chandrayaan2. I wish the mission a grand success,” Swaraj tweeted.





3:37 pm IST Isro yet again accomplished a mammoth feat: Akshay Kumar Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar hailed the successful launch of India’s indigenous moon mission, Chandrayaan-2 and dubbed it as Isro’s mammoth feat yet again. #ISRO has yet again accomplished a mammoth feat. Salute to the team who have spent countless days ensuring the success of #Chandrayaan2 @isro — Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) July 22, 2019





3 :32 pm IST Chandrayaan-2 is unique: PM Modi Praising the Isro team, the Prime Minister said, “Chandrayaan2 is unique because it will explore and perform studies on the south pole region of lunar terrain which is not explored and sampled by any past mission.” Chandrayaan-2 lander - Vikram- will attempt a soft landing near the south pole between two craters, Manzinus C and Simpelius N, and study the shadowy regions within. The spot holds significance because the first Chandrayaan mission, in 2008, dropped an impactor near the Sackleton Crate on the south pole and found conclusive proof of water in the lunar soil, rocks and atmosphere.





3:30 pm IST Every Indian is immensely proud today: PM Modi Prime Minister Modi said, “Every Indian is immensely proud today,” adding “the launch of Chandrayaan-2 illustrates the prowess of our scientists and the determination of 130 crore Indians to scale new frontiers of science.”





3:25 pm IST Chandrayaan-2 will enhance our existing knowledge of Moon: PM Modi Congratulating Isro for the successful launch of Chandrayaan-2, Prime Minister Modi said, “Efforts such as Chandrayaan- 2 will further encourage our bright youngsters towards science, top quality research and innovation.” “Thanks to Chandrayaan, India’s Lunar Programme will get a substantial boost. Our existing knowledge of the Moon will be significantly enhanced,” he added.





3:20 pm IST Sitharaman congratulates Isro team for successful Chandrayaan-2 launch Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman congratulated the Isro team for the successful launch of Chandrayaan-2. “Congratulations on #Chandrayaan2. Compliments to the entire team @isro,” tweeted Sitharaman. .In a first, the Chandrayaan-2 mission is being led by two women. The director responsible for the entire project, from start to finish, is Muthayya Vanitha. And Ritu Karidhal is the mission director who will coordinate Chandrayaan-2 when the satellite is injected into orbit.





3:19 pm IST Did you know? The Chandrayaan 2 mission is the first operational flight of the GSLV Mark III launch vehicle, which uses oxygen liquified at -183 degrees Celsius and Hydrogen at -253 degrees Celsius in the cryogenic upper stage. The first stage of GSLV Mark III uses two solid fuel rocket boosters for lift-off and the second core stage uses two liquid fuel engines.





3:12 pm IST Beginning of a historic journey: Isro chief “It is the beginning of a historic journey of India towards moon and to land at a place near South Pole to carry out scientific experiments,” said Isro chief K Sivan.





3:06 pm IST We bounced back with flying colours: Isro chief “After a technical snag, we bounced back with flying colours, said Isro chief Dr K Sivan, saluting the team “who made the mission possible.” A technical snag led to an aborted lift-off of Chandrayaan-2, 56 minutes before the end of the countdown on July 15, said space agency Isro.





3:05 pm IST ‘Bahubali’ successfully injects Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft into Earth Orbit GSLV MkIII-M1, Bahubali, successfully injected Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft into Earth Orbit, tweeted Isro. K Sivan, chairman of Isro said that he is “extremely happy” over the successful launch of Chandrayaan-2.





3:00 pm IST ‘Fingers crossed for pathbreaking mission to Moon’: Amarinder Singh Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh wished space agency Isro luck for Chandrayaan-2, which “is all set to explore the unchartered lunar south pole”.





2:56 pm IST ‘Every Indian is proud of you’: Gadkari congratulates team Isro Union minister Nitin Gadkari the Isro team for successful launch of Chandrayaan-2 and said, “Every Indian is proud of you’.





2:53 pm IST Piyush Goyal congratulates team that made “moon mission launch a reality” “Many congratulations to ISRO and its women led team that made the ambitious moon mission #Chandrayaan2 launch a reality, “ tweeted Union minister Piyush Goyal.





2:43 pm IST Chandrayaan-2 lifts off Isro’s moon mission Chandrayaan-2 lifted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh at 2.43 pm. This was the second attempt at launch. The first attempt on July 15 was aborted due to technical glitch.





2:38 pm IST 5 minutes to go Just five minutes to go for India’s second moon mission Chandrayaan-2 launch from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, a week after the lift off was aborted at the eleventh hour due to a technical snag.





2:33 pm IST 10 minutes to go! Mission Director of Chandrayaan-2 has authorized the launch of the moon mission, reports news agency ANI.





2:26 pm IST Landing of Chandrayaan-2: Isro’s biggest challenge Landing of Chandrayaan-2 is being called as Isro’s biggest challenge till now. The 15 minutes when the lander separates and before it soft lands on the moon have been called “terrifying moments” by the space agency which has never undertaken such a flight. Chandrayaan-2 will attempt to soft-land Vikram and Pragyan in a high plain between two craters, Manzinus C and Simpelius N, at a latitude of about 70° south, ISRO has said.





2:19 pm IST Key objectives of Chandrayaan-2 To demonstrate the ability to soft-land on the surface of the moon and to operate a rover on the surface is one of the key objectives of the mission. Here’s a look at the key objectives of Chandrayaan-2: •To identify or to find out the minerals and indicators of hydroxyl and water molecules. •To study the surface of the moon. •To study the density of the electrons in the Moon’s ionosphere that is the uppermost part of the atmosphere that is ionised by radiation. •The Orbiter will observe the lunar surface and relay communication between Earth and Chandrayaan 2’s Lander •The lander is designed to execute India’s first soft landing on the lunar surface.





2:09 pm IST Chandrayaan-2 to perform 15 crucial manoeuvres India’s lunar landing mission “Chandrayaan-2 will perform 15 crucial manoeuvres in the days to come, said Isro chief K Sivan on Sunday, adding “all the preparatory works regarding the launch have been completed and technical snags that developed in the first attempt have been rectified. “





2:01 pm IST Why was south pole of Moon chosen for Chandrayaan-2 landing? “Moon provides the best linkage to Earth’s early history. It offers an undisturbed historical record of the inner Solar system environment. Extensive mapping of lunar surface to study variations in lunar surface composition is essential to trace back the origin and evolution of the Moon, says the ISRO website.





1:49 pm IST What will happen after the lift off? About 16 minutes after Chandrayaan-2’s lift-off, the lander, GSLV MkIII, will inject the mission into 170 x 40400 kms Earth orbit. From then onwards, the mission will witness a series of manoeuvres by scientists to carry out different phases of the mission.





1:45 pm IST 1 hour to go! Filling of Liquid Hydrogen in Cryogenic Stage(C25) of GSLVMk III-M1 has been completed, tweeted space agency Isro. #ISRO #Chandrayaan2

Filling of Liquid Hydrogen in Cryogenic Stage(C25) of #GSLVMkIII-M1 completed. — ISRO (@isro) July 22, 2019





1:37 pm IST Chandrayaan-2’s planned landing site Chandrayaan-2’s planned landing site is a high plain between two craters, Manzinus C andSimpelius N, at a latitude of about 70.9deg South 22.7deg East.





1:33 pm IST Chandrayaan-2 to make India 4th country to soft land on lunar surface The launch of lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 is set to make India the fourth country after the US, Russia and China to make a technically complex soft-landing on moon. It will be the world’s first landing on the far side of the moon, and the second major space exploration success for India after Chandrayaan 1’s discovery of water on the moon in 2008.





1:22 pm IST Why Isro named Chandrayaan- 2 lander ‘Vikram’ Chandrayaan 2’s 1.4 tonne lander has been named after Vikram A Sarabhai, the father of the space programme. It is designed to function for one lunar day, which is equivalent to about 14 Earth days. Vikram has the capability to communicate with IDSN at Byalalu near Bangalore, as well as with the Orbiter and Pragyan rover. The lander is designed to execute a soft landing on the lunar surface at a touchdown velocity of 2 metres per second. The lander will carry with it a solar-powered rover named Pragyan — “wisdom” in Sanskrit —will roam as far as 500 metres away from the lander to study the composition of the Moon’s surface for one lunar day —the equivalent of 14 Earth days.





1:17 pm IST President Ram Nath Kovind joins dignitaries, students waiting for Chandrayaan-2 launch President Ram Nath Kovind joined 7,000 dignitaries and flag-waving school children waiting for Chandrayaan-2 ‘s launch from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, an island off the coast of southern Andhra Pradesh.





1:12 pm IST Chandrayaan-2’s lander to land on Moon on 48th day of mission Chandrayaan-2’s lander - Vikram - will be landing on the Moon on the 48th day of the mission. As our journey begins, do you know what is the distance of Moon from Earth? The average distance is 3, 84, 000 km, Vikram lander will land on Moon on the 48th day of the mission, which begins today, tweeted Isro





12:43 pm IST Two hours to go! Two hours to go !!! Filling of Liquid Oxygen in Cryogenic Stage(C25) of GSLV MkIII M1 completed and filling of liquid Hydrogen is in progress, tweeted Isro. #Chandrayaan2 #ISRO

Two hours to go !!! Filling of Liquid Oxygen in Cryogenic Stage(C25) of #GSLVMkIII-M1 completed and Filling of Liquid Hydrogen is in progress — ISRO (@isro) July 22, 2019





12:39 pm IST Chandrayaan-2’s biggest challenge Chandrayaan- 2 will complete the journey to the Moon in over seven days, which is two days more than the previous plan. The biggest challenge for Chandrayaan-2 will be the time it spends in the lunar orbit. The time it spends in the lunar orbit will be reduced from 28 days to 13 days to gain the lost time due to the delayed launch and the additional days around Earth and in the journey in between, said an Isro official, asking not to be named.





12:34 pm IST Chandrayaan-2 will be successful: Prakash Javadekar Union Minister Prakash Javadekar assured on Monday that India’s indigenous moon mission will be successful. Talking about Chandrayaan-2, Javadekar told ANI, “Today, the whole country is waiting for the afternoon when Chandrayaan-2 will be launched. The whole country believes that our scientists will be successful.”





12:12 pm IST Filling of Liquid Hydrogen for the Cryogenic Stage of Chandrayaan-2 launcher begins “Filling of Liquid Hydrogen for the Cryogenic Stage(C25) of GSLVM kIII-M1 has begun,” tweeted space agency Isro. Filling of Liquid Hydrogen for the Cryogenic Stage(C25) of #GSLVMkIII-M1 commenced#Chandrayaan2 #ISRO

Updates will continue....... — ISRO (@isro) July 22, 2019





12:09 pm IST There were four window periods for Chandrayaan-2 launch There were four suitable window periods for the launch in the month of July – July 15 and 16 and then again during new moon on July 29 and 30.





12:02 pm IST Chandrayaan-2 lift-off aborted due to technical glitch on July 15 A helium leak from the propellent team led to an aborted lift-off of Chandrayaan-2, 56 minutes before the end of the countdown on July 15, said an ex-scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), who is still involved with the project, on condition of anonymity. Helium is used in cryogenic engines that use oxygen and hydrogen as fuel, such as the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark III that will carry Chandrayaan-2, in pressuring the propellant tank to keep it from collapsing and to prevent the formation of bubbles.





11:25 am IST 7,500 people register online to witness rocket launch Space agency Isro will launch Chandrayaan-2 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. More than 7,500 persons have registered online with the Isro to watch India’s heavy lift rocket GSLV-Mk III roaring towards the skies carrying Chandrayaan-2, reported news agency IANS.





11:11 am IST Chandrayaan 2 launch vehicle completed its rehearsal on Saturday GSLV Mark III-M1, the launch vehicle of Chandrayaan 2, completed its launch rehearsal on Saturday, said Isro, adding its performance is normal. After aborting the second Indian mission to Moon on July 15, an hour before the take off, ISRO has said it would go ahead with the mission on July 21.





11:06 am IST Did you know? The Indian space agency Isro created an artificial moon surface so that its moon lander -- Vikram -- can soft-land safely and rover -- Pragyaan -- can move around, said a senior retired official. The Chandrayaa-2 rover-lander was tested on the artificial moon surface as the moon’s surface is covered with craters, rocks and duct and is entirely different from that of the Earth.





10:33 am IST How Chandrayaan-2 mission will stick to timeline despite delay The July 15 launch was aborted at the eleventh hour due to a technical snag. Now, in order to catch up, the scientists have made adjustments that are necessary to keep in place a careful choreography of movements crucial to ensure the spacecraft does not overshoot the Moon, crash into surface or land at a spot not designated for the mission. “These are minor adjustments to the orbit and will not affect the mission in any way. During the initial planning of the mission, some redundancies had been introduced to ensure that the mission could be completed even if there were any glitches,” said an Isro official, asking not to be named.





10:23 am IST July 22 launch two days after 50th anniversary of Apollo 11’s moon landing The July 22 launch of Chandrayaan-2 comes two days after the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the moon on July 20, 1969. American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin became the first humans ever to land on the Moon aboard the Apollo 11 mission.



