On Monday at 2.43 pm, Chandrayaan-2, India's most ambitious lunar mission to date, lifted off successfully from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. it will the first space mission to conduct a soft landing on the moon's South Polar region. It is also the first Indian expedition to attempt a soft landing on the lunar surface with home-grown technology. Space enthusiasts say this is one of the most complex missions till date even by ISRO’s standards, which had captured the world’s attention by launching 104 satellites in one go.
Shortly after the launch, congratulations and praise poured in for the scientists and the team behind the moon mission. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a series of tweets, called the launch a special moment that will be etched in the annals of the country's glorious history.
“Special moments that will be etched in the annals of our glorious history! The launch of #Chandrayaan2 illustrates the prowess of our scientists and the determination of 130 crore Indians to scale new frontiers of science. Every Indian is immensely proud today!” PM Modi said in a tweet.
Special moments that will be etched in the annals of our glorious history!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 22, 2019
The launch of #Chandrayaan2 illustrates the prowess of our scientists and the determination of 130 crore Indians to scale new frontiers of science.
Every Indian is immensely proud today! pic.twitter.com/v1ETFneij0
Indian at heart, Indian in spirit!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 22, 2019
What would make every Indian overjoyed is the fact that #Chandrayaan2 is a fully indigenous mission.
It will have an Orbiter for remote sensing the Moon and also a Lander-Rover module for analysis of lunar surface.
#Chandrayaan2 is unique because it will explore and perform studies on the south pole region of lunar terrain which is not explored and sampled by any past mission.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 22, 2019
This mission will offer new knowledge about the Moon.
Efforts such as #Chandrayaan2 will further encourage our bright youngsters towards science, top quality research and innovation.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 22, 2019
Thanks to Chandrayaan, India’s Lunar Programme will get a substantial boost. Our existing knowledge of the Moon will be significantly enhanced.
#Chandrayaan2 will be the first spacecraft to land close to the moon’s South Pole in some 50 days from now. The mission is expected to lead to new discoveries and enrich our knowledge systems. I wish the Chandrayaan-2 team every success #PresidentKovind
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) July 22, 2019
Heartiest congratulations to Team ISRO on the successful launch of Chandrayaan-2 from the Sriharikota Range(SHAR), in Andhra Pradesh today. I convey my best wishes for the successful culmination of the mission@isro #GSLVMkIII#Chandrayaan2#ISRO#ISROMissions pic.twitter.com/7RazbsqiAT
— VicePresidentOfIndia (@VPSecretariat) July 22, 2019
Ministers, leaders across political parties and celebrities took to Twitter to congratulate scientists of ISRO on the successful launch of the mission.
Congratulating team ISRO for the successful launch of #Chandrayaan2
— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) July 22, 2019
Every Indian is proud of you ! @isro
Congratulations to ISRO scientists on flawless launching of #Chandrayaan2 from Sriharikota
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 22, 2019
Team ISRO scripted a new chapter in India’s space history with the launch of this ambitious and indigenous Mission to Moon.
The nation is extremely proud of its scientists and Team ISRO.
Congratulations on #Chandrayaan2. Compliments to the entire team @isro.
— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) July 22, 2019
I salute @Isro scientists for making India a space super power by successfully launching #Chandrayaan2. I wish the mission a grand success.
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 22, 2019
CM Pinarayi Vijayan warmly congratulates ISRO on the success of #Chandrayaan2 mission, India's second lunar exploration mission. This is one of the greatest technological achievements in Indian history. @isro
— CMO Kerala (@CMOKerala) July 22, 2019
Heartfelt congratulations to Team @isro for the successful launch of India's historic second Moon mission #Chandrayaan2 from #Sriharikota. A moment of great pride for every one of us! pic.twitter.com/QmMyolzi2C
— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) July 22, 2019
Many congratulations to Team #Chandrayaan2 @isro for the successful and seamless launch ! pic.twitter.com/LINKS5ZHUk
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) July 22, 2019
#ISRO has yet again accomplished a mammoth feat. Salute to the team who have spent countless days ensuring the success of #Chandrayaan2 @isro
— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) July 22, 2019
The mission will go down in textbooks for a bevvy of reasons: This is India’s first complex robotic mission to space; the first space mission to be entirely headed by women; first space mission to conduct a soft landing on the moon's South Polar region. Chandrayaan-2’s most spectacular selling point is that it cost less than a Hollywood movie. While Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi film Interstellar was made on a budget of $165 million (close to Rs 1,062 crore), this lunar mission was made at a cost of Rs 978 crore. Of this, Rs 603 crore went into the orbiter, lander, rover, navigation and ground support network and Rs 375 crore into the heavy rocket – Geo-stationary Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) with an indigenous cryogenic engine.