India launches Moon Mission-3

NEW DELHI -- India launched its third moon mission, called Chandrayaan-3, on Friday on the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre located in the southern state Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota area, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.

The propulsion module will be carrying the lander, named Vikram, and the rover, named Pragyan, till the 100-km lunar orbit. The moon mission will last nearly two months.

The moon mission's objectives include developing and demonstrating new technologies required for interplanetary missions. The lander will have the capability to land at a specified lunar site and deploy the rover which will carry out chemical analysis of the lunar surface during the course of its mobility.