Technology
India’s Third Moon Mission Lifts Off as Space Race Intensifies
- Chandrayaan-3 rocket carrying moon rover launched on Friday
- India’s previous lunar mission ended in a crash in 2019
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India launched an uncrewed mission to the lunar surface, joining the US, China and others in a new moon race.
The Chandrayaan-3 blasted off at 2:35 p.m. local time Friday from India’s main spaceport on Sriharikota, an island off the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, as a crowd of visitors watched. It will spend about six weeks in space before attempting to touch down close to the lunar south pole, near where the nation’s previous moon mission ended in a crash in 2019.