Launch of India's 2nd Moon Mission set for Monday after postponement

The stage is all set for the launch of India's second Moon Mission, or "Chandrayaan-2", on Monday which was aborted on July 15 due to a technical snag in the launch vehicle system.

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)'s Geosynchronous Satellite launch Vehicle (GSLV) MkIII carrying Chandrayaan-2 stands at Satish Dhawan Space Center after the mission was aborted at the last minute at Sriharikota, in southern India, Monday, July 15, 2019. [File photo: AP via IC/Manish Swarup]

A launch rehearsal has been successfully carried out, and performance was described as "normal."

"Launch rehearsal of GSLVMkIII-M1 Chandrayaan2 mission completed, performance normal," the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had tweeted late on Saturday night.

"Chandrayaan-2" will be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Center at 14:43 on Monday in Sriharikota off the Bay of Bengal coast located in India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

The nearly 150-million-U.S. dollar Moon Mission aims at gathering data on water, minerals and rock formations on the Lunar surface.

The 'Lander' and the 'Rover' are expected to touch down near the Lunar south pole in early September, becoming the first ever spacecraft to land in that region.

If successfully carried out, India would become the fourth country, after the United States, Russia and China, to achieve this feat.

Announcing the postponement of the Moon Mission, the ISRO tweeted on July 15, "A technical snag was observed in launch vehicle system at T-56 minute. As a measure of abundant precaution, Chandrayaan-2 launch has been called off for today. Revised launch date will be announced later."