All the modules are getting ready for the launch with an expected moon landing on Sept. 6, according to the statement. Modi, who is seeking a second term in the current general election, has been aggressive with his space policies. He announced a surprise $1.4 billion manned mission last year with a deadline of 2022, which reignited a project put on the back-burner by previous governments. In its second mission to the moon, India will seek to study the potential for mining a source of waste-free nuclear energy that could be worth trillions of dollars, apart from other scientific experiments, K. Sivan, chairman of ISRO, said in an interview last year. India’s first mission to the moon, launched in October 2008, completed more than 3,400 orbits and ejected a probe that discovered molecules of water in the surface for the first time.

Source: Mint May 02, 2019 05:37 UTC