India reached for the moon again on Friday. Isro completed a textbook launch with the GSLV-Mk3 or LVM3, India’s largest rocket yet, putting Chandrayaan-3 into the intended orbit.
The lunar trek has only just begun. The journey over the next 40 days will be keenly watched. But the true test will come thereafter. Once the spacecraft reaches the lunar orbit and the lander module, Vikram, carrying Pragyan (the rover expected to roll off the lander and do experiments), separates from the propulsion module before eventually attempting to land.