New Delhi: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Monday congratulated Indian space agency ISRO on the successful launch of Chandrayaan-2, India's second moon mission and said it looking forward to know what ISRO learns about lunar south pole.


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India on Monday launched its spacecraft using its most powerful rocket, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk-III) from Satish Dhawan space centre in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota. The mission aims to achieve India's first surface landing on moon's south pole region, where it will collect crucial information about the moon’s composition and regarding the presence of water and other minerals on the lunar surface.


Taking to Twitter, NASA said, "Congrats to ISRO on the launch of Chandrayaan 2, a mission to study the Moon. We're proud to support your mission comms using our Deep Space Network and look forward to what you learn about the lunar South pole where we will send astronauts on our #Artemis mission in a few years."



On July 20, NASA celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first historic moon landing of Apollo 11 when astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human to step on the moon.


In its tweet congratulating ISRO, NASA also mentioned that it was preparing its next giant step on the moon with the ambitious Artemis mission. The mission could see the "first woman and the next man" walk on the lunar surface.


The success of Chandrayaan-2' launch has put the ISRO at much relief as it was earlier aborted due to a "technical snag" just 56 minutes before its launch on July 15.


The successful launch was hailed by leaders and citizens across the country.


"This mission will offer new knowledge about the Moon," Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said in a Twitter post, praising the scientists responsible for what he called a fully indigenous mission.