Launch of India’s moon mission Chandrayaan-2 put off due to technical snag

The mission director said it was not possible to carry out the launch within the timeframe; new schedule would be announced after investigation of the glitch, which should take at least 10 days

The launch of Chandrayaan-2, India’s second mission to the moon, was postponed after a technical glitch was observed in the launch vehicle system early morning on Monday.

Less than an hour before the scheduled lift-off, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) informed of the launch being put off due to the snag. “It is not possible to carry out the launch within the window,” said the mission director. The new schedule will be announced later.

The launch was scheduled to have taken place at 2.51 am from the second launchpad at Sriharikota’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC). The countdown to the launch was put on hold at 56 minutes and 24 seconds.

The technical snag was noticed when the cryogenic fuel was being loaded. The vehicle would need to be approached to assess the problem. The fuel loaded in the rocket would first have to be emptied, and then the rocket would have to be studied for further investigation. According to an Isro source, the whole process would take at least 10 days. The new schedule would likely be disclosed only after that.