First earthbound orbit-raising manoeuvre for Chandrayaan-2 successfully performed

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Sriharikota: The first earthbound orbit-raising manoeuvre for Chandryaan-2 spacecraft was performed successfully on Wednesday, according to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

The manoeuvre was performed at 2:52 pm as was planned, using the onboard propulsion system for a firing duration of 57 seconds. 

The second orbit raising manoeuvre is scheduled on July 26 at 1:09 am, the space agency said.

A Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark III, carrying the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft, had lifted off at 2.43 pm on Monday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. This came exactly a week after the mission was aborted following the detection of a technical glitch less than an hour before the scheduled launch.

In the run-up to the launch, ISRO, on its Twitter handle, put out regular updates about preparations.

Chandrayaan-2 will explore a region of the moon where no mission has ever set foot. The spacecraft consists of an orbiter, a lander and a rover - together referred to as 'composite body'. The landing on the moon's south polar region is expected on September 6 of 2019. The spacecraft will be the first Indian expedition to attempt a soft landing on the lunar surface. This mission will make India the fourth country after the US, Russia, and China to carry out a soft landing on the moon