Watch as India launches historic mission to land near Moon’s south pole

Watch as India launches a mission to Moon, underlining the country’s push for space exploration, with the Chandrayaan-3 launch scheduled for Friday 14 July.

The mission will attempt to land a rover near the south pole of the Moon and is intended to mark the country’s arrival as a power in space exploration and the new frontier of space commerce.

A successful mission would make India only the fourth country after the US, Russia, and China to have landed a rover on the Moon, and it would be the closest landing yet of any space vehicle to the lunar south pole.

Friday’s mission is scheduled for launch at 9.05am UT (2.35pm local time) and is expected to land on the Moon near the end of August.

The Indian space agency noted that both the rover and the lander will be similar to those used in the Chandrayaan-2 mission, but with some improvements from the 2019 design to help ensure a safe landing.