India Launches Chandrayaan-3 Mission in Historic Attempt to Land Spacecraft on Moon's South Pole

India has launched the Chandrayaan-3 lunar landing mission, its second attempt to land a spacecraft on the moon after a failed try in 2019.
The mission aims to demonstrate India's ability to softly land a spacecraft on the lunar surface near the south pole.
Chandrayaan-3 consists of a lander, rover, and orbiter to study lunar soil composition and search for water ice.
If successful, India will join an elite group of countries including the US, Russia and China to have landed on the moon.
The mission has bolstered national pride in India's rapidly advancing, low-cost space program.