Chandrayaan-3, India’s third mission to explore the moon, will be launched on July 14 at 2.35 pm, ISRO chief S. Somnath has announced.

 “On July 14 at 2.35 pm, Chandrayaan-3 will lift off and if everything goes well, it will land (on the moon) on August 23…the date is decided based on when is the sunrise on the moon, it will depend on the calculations, but if it gets delayed then we will have to keep the landing for the next month in September,” news agency ANI cited Somnath as saying.

The announcement was made at the G20 Space Economy Leaders Meet held in Bengaluru on Thursday.

The ISRO chief explained that the main objective of the mission is a safe and soft landing after which the 6-wheeled Rover will come out to explore the moon for 14 days. The Rover is equipped with multiple cameras that will send back images to earth. It is backed by a solar panel to charge its battery.

The ISRO chief also informed that partnerships between space agencies, industries, and start-ups were discussed at the G20 meeting.

Day-1 of the Space Economy Leaders Meet saw participation from 27 countries and 33 industries. Representatives from 86 space companies took part in the meeting.

India showcased industry capabilities in the space sector. On the concluding day, there will be a session on Space Industry partnership.