Chandrayaan-3 set to make India the 4th country to land on moon: Facts and figures

"India can no longer wait to be left behind in its march to the Moon," he stated, underscoring the urgency and determination behind the mission.

Chandrayaan-3 is a continuation of India's previous lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2, with the objective of demonstrating India's expertise in soft landing and roving on the lunar surface.

Singh explained that the mission's intricate trajectory required the spacecraft to precisely enter the Moon's orbit, a challenge that has been successfully overcome.

Once Chandrayaan-3 lands on the Moon, its six-wheeled rover will be deployed, expected to operate for a period of 14 days. Equipped with multiple cameras, the rover will capture and transmit images back to Earth, providing valuable insights into the lunar environment.

Singh credited Prime Minister Modi for creating a supportive environment for the country's space scientists and for pioneering groundbreaking decisions such as opening up the space sector for public-private partnerships. He predicted that, based on the current growth trajectory, India's space sector could become a $1 trillion economy in the years to come.

"The primary objectives of Chandrayaan-3 mission are threefold, a) to demonstrate Safe and Soft Landing on Lunar Surface b) to demonstrate Rover roving on the moon and c) to conduct in-situ scientific experiments," Singh explained.

He recalled the groundbreaking discoveries of Chandrayaan-1, the first mission in the series, which revealed the presence of water on the Moon's surface, captivating the global scientific community and even influencing further experiments by renowned space agencies like NASA.

Chandrayaan-3 will be launched using the indigenously developed Launch Vehicle Mark-3 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), marking a significant milestone for the nation's space program.

Singh expressed the widespread excitement surrounding the mission, especially following the setback of the Chandrayaan-2 mission, which encountered a technical issue during its descent on September 6, 2019. Prime Minister Modi personally witnessed the event at Sriharikota.

"The Chandrayaan-3 Lander has undergone modifications to enhance its robustness, all of which have been thoroughly tested and simulated," Singh assured.

He further stated that the lander and rover modules of Chandrayaan-3 are equipped with payloads designed to provide valuable data to the scientific community regarding the chemical and elemental composition of lunar soil and rocks.

Chandrayaan-3, which means "moon vehicle" in Sanskrit, consists of a Lander module (LM), Propulsion module (PM) and a rover. The follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 will demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface.

Launch date: July 14

Landing site: Moon, South polar region

Mission life: One lunar daylight period or roughly 14 Earth days

Mission components: Propulsion module, lander, rover

Launch vehicle: GSLV-Mk III

Mass: 3,900 kg