Chandrayaan-3 launch likely on July 13; ISRO chief says no final decision yet
New Delhi, Jun 28: India is looking at July 13 as a possible launch date for Chandrayaan-3 that entails landing a rover on the lunar surface.
A senior official said the Chandrayaan-3 mission would be launched on July 13 at 2:30 pm from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.
However, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S Somanath said while the date has not been finalised yet, the agency was looking at the earliest possible date between July 12 and 19.
He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an Indian Air Force event.
"Currently, the window of opportunity is between July 12 and 19. We will take the earliest possible date, may be July 12, 13 or 14 and go towards the end, unless there is a technical issue cropping up," he said replying to queries related to the July 13 launch date.
"No exact date has been announced. We will come to that exact date after all the tests are completed final date will be within this range," Somanath said.
ISRO said the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft has been fully built and assembled with the faring, and is waiting for integration with the rocket.
"Currently, the rocket integration is going on and possibly it will be completed in another two to three days, and then we have to go for a test programme," Somanath said. He added that after integration with the rocket a series of tests would also be carried out.
Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface. It has a lander and rover configuration.
The propulsion module will carry the lander and rover configuration till 100 km lunar orbit. It has a Spectro-Polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth payload to study the spectral and polarimetric measurements of Earth from lunar orbit.
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Seasoned politician who discharged responsibilities with sincerity: Cong condoles Ajit Pawar's death
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Wednesday condoled the death of Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash, with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge saying he shall be remembered as a seasoned politician who discharged his responsibilities towards his people with sincerity and astuteness.
Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi also condoled Pawar's demise.
"The news of the demise of Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister Shri Ajit Pawar Ji and his fellow travellers in an airplane accident today is extremely heartbreaking. In this moment of grief, I stand with the people of Maharashtra. I extend my condolences to the entire Pawar family and their loved ones during this hour of sorrow," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
Pawar and four other persons were killed after an aircraft carrying them crashed in Pune district on Wednesday morning, officials said.
The incident occurred when the plane carrying Pawar (66) and others landed near Baramati, they said.
In a post on X, Kharge said the news of the tragic demise of Ajit Pawar, in a plane crash, is deeply shocking and profoundly distressing.
"It is an untimely loss of a leader who had a long and promising political career ahead. No words can adequately express the immense grief that the bereaved family must be enduring during this difficult hour. I extend my deepest condolences to the entire Pawar family, his supporters and well-wishers," he said on X.
"Having served the people of Maharashtra in various constitutional capacities, Shri Ajit Pawar shall be remembered as a seasoned politician who discharged his responsibilities towards his people with sincerity and astuteness. May his soul rest in peace," Kharge said.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the news of the demise of Ajit Pawar and others in the horrific plane crash in Maharashtra is extremely heartbreaking.
"May God grant peace to the departed souls. Deepest condolences to revered Sharad Pawar Ji, Supriya Sule Ji and their entire family, and to the supporters of revered Ajit Pawar Ji," she said in a post in Hindi on X.
According to Flight Radar, the flight took off from Mumbai at 8.10 am and it disappeared from radar around 8.45 am.
Pawar was travelling to Baramati from Mumbai to address public meetings as part of the campaign for the February 5 zilla parishad elections in the state. There were five people on board when the aircraft crashed at 8.50 am, a police official said.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) posts, "The news of the tragic demise of Shri Ajit Pawar, in a plane crash, is deeply shocking and profoundly distressing. It is an untimely loss of a leader who had a long and promising political career ahead. No words can adequately… pic.twitter.com/XDbfbCihtG
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 28, 2026
LoP and Congress MP, Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) posts, "महाराष्ट्र के उप मुख्यमंत्री श्री अजित पवार जी और उनके सहयात्रियों की आज हवाई जहाज दुर्घटना में निधन का समाचार अत्यंत पीड़ादायक है। इस शोक के पल में महाराष्ट्र की जनता के साथ हूं। समस्त पवार परिवार और प्रियजनों को इस दुख… pic.twitter.com/wp80n1RYHp
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 28, 2026
VIDEO | On the demise of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in an aircraft crash, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra says, "This is very sad news. From our side, we extend our condolences and sympathies to the entire Pawar family and all their supporters. I have also… pic.twitter.com/A0OElhcGS9
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 28, 2026
