EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated to reflect new launch date of July 22.
These video highlights released by the Indian Space Research Organization show the launch campaign to prepare for liftoff of the Chandrayaan 2 moon mission aboard a GSLV Mk.3 rocket.
The Chandrayaan 2 spacecraft, comprising a lunar orbiter, lander and rover, is set for liftoff at 0913 GMT (5:13 a.m. EDT) Monday, July 22, from the Satish Dhawan Space Center on India’s southeastern coast.
The Chandrayaan 2 mission will lift off aboard a GSLV Mk.3 rocket, India’s most powerful launcher. The 142-foot-tall (43.4-meter) rocket is set for its fourth launch, and first operational mission, with Chandrayaan 2.
This video shows stacking of the GSLV Mk.3 rocket on top a mobile launch platform inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Indian spaceport. The GSLV Mk.3 is powered by two solid rocket boosters, a hydrazine-fueled core stage, and a hydrogen-burning cryogenic upper stage.
The Chandrayaan 2 spacecraft was encapsulated inside the GSLV Mk.3’s payload fairing, then hoisted atop the rocket inside the VAB before rollout to the Second Launch Pad at the seaside space center.
Read our full story for details on the mission.
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