India's space programme has grown considerably in size and momentum since it first sent a probe to orbit the moon in 2008. "I am very happy and hopeful," K Sivan, the ISRO chief during India's last lunar landing attempt, told AFP. The 14-day mission comes with a price tag of US$74.6 million, according to media reports, and aims to successfully land a rover to explore the lunar surface.Ī huge crowd is expected to attend the launch, scheduled for 2.35pm local time (9.05am GMT) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre north of Chennai. "We're sure this one will be successful and will bring pride and recognition to everybody who has worked for it," Anil G Verma of Godrej & Boyce, ISRO's principal engine and components supplier, told AFP. This time around, there is optimism that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will succeed, as it sets its sights on a future manned lunar mission. The latest iteration of the Chandrayaan ("Mooncraft") programme comes four years after an earlier attempt ended in failure, with ground crew losing contact moments before landing. If successful, the mission would make the world's most populous nation only the fourth country after Russia, the United States and China to achieve a controlled landing on the lunar surface. BENGALURU: India on Friday (Jul 14) will launch its latest attempt at an unmanned moon landing, the next frontier of a burgeoning, cut-price aerospace programme rapidly closing in on the milestones set by global superpowers.
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