Chandrayaan-2 Launch Aborted

Chandrayaan-2, India's second lunar exploration mission, was set to be launched on 15^th July 2019 at 2.51 AM. But the launch was canceled due to a technical glitch just 56 minutes before the take-off. ISRO is yet to announce the revised launch date.

A senior scientist stated, “After filling liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, helium was being filled when we noted a drop in the pressure indicating there was a leak.” It is also known that a glitch was noted in the oxygen tank during a ground test on 22^nd June.

There was disappointment among five thousand spectators who had gathered from across the country to view the launch in Sriharikota. This was the first-ever public viewing of a rocket launch. The most notable guest in the VIP gallery was President Ram Nath Kovind.

The current launch window ends on 31^st July. Once the rocket is launched and if the landing is successful, India will be the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the moon, after the USA, USSR and China.