India's Second Moon Mission Launches

India has announced a successful launch to its second moon mission as the Chandrayaan-2 mission lifted off on Monday at 14:43 local time. The launch came a week after India had stopped the launch due to a technical issue. The remedy of the obstacle and launch prompted the head of India's space missions to say that his agency "had bounced back with flying colors" after the abort of the initial launch.

India's goal with the mission is to become the first country to land on the Moon's south pole. Currently, the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft is in orbit around the Earth where it will remain for the next 23 days before departing to head to the Moon. India's Chandrayaan-2 mission is notable as it marks the first time that an interplanetary mission is being led by a pair of women.

Chandrayaan-2 project director is Muthaya Vanitha, and the mission director is Ritu Karidhal. Isro, India's space agency, chief K Sivan said after the launch that the mission was the beginning of the historical journey of India towards the Moon. Sivan also thanked nearly 1,000 scientists, engineers, and other staff who worked on the mission.

The launch was stopped on July 15 about 56 minutes before launch due to a technical issue. Reports from Indian media say that a leak from a helium gas bottle in the cryogenic engine of the rocket was to blame. Sources at the ISRO stated that the fix was an easy one, but the issue could have caused a total mission loss.

Chandrayaan-1 was the country's first mission into space. That mission didn't attempt to land on the Moon; it orbited the Moon and searched for water using radar. Chandrayaan-2 will try and land near the south pole of the Moon. The new mission will focus on the lunar surface and will continue the search for water, among other things.