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India set to launch second Moon mission

14 July 2019 21:03 (UTC +04:00)

India is set to launch its second lunar mission - if successful, it will become the fourth country to make a soft landing on the Moon's surface, APA reports citing BBC.

Only the US, China and the former Soviet Union have been able to do so.

The $150m mission - Chandrayaan-2 - aims to gather data on water, minerals and rock formations on the Moon.

The lander and rover are expected to touch down near the lunar south pole in early September, becoming the first ever spacecraft to land in that region.

The chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), K Sivan, said it was "the most complex space mission ever to be undertaken by the agency".

The Indian-made satellite is scheduled to be launched at 02:51 local time on Monday (21:21 GMT Sunday) from Sriharikota space station on India's eastern coast.