India's first moon mission, named Chandrayaan-1, took place back in 2008. The Chandrayaan-2 mission was scheduled to be launched on Thursday but has reportedly been postponed.

India's second mission to the moon has been postponed for a third-time, the IANS news agency reported on Thursay, citing official sources. Although K. Sivan, chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), earlier informed media that they plan to launch Chandrayaan-2 on 3 January, 2019, the ISRO have since postponed the mission.

"The postponed launch date for Chandrayaan-2 has not been confirmed yet," an ISRO spokesperson said in a statement.

The Chandrayaan-2 mission will cost around $115 million and will see a 3,890 kg spacecraft launched to the moon; he proposed launch vehicle is the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk-3. The purpose of the mission is to study the moon's condition and collect data on its topography, exhosphere and mineralogy.

The mission launch plan is to reach the 100-km lunar orbit, after which the rover and lander, "Vikram", named after former ISRO chairman Vikram Sarabhai, would have separated from the spacecraft to make a soft landing on the moon's surface through gradual descent. According to ISRO, the window for launch to make a satisfactory landing on the moon is open until March.

Source: Sputnik News

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