ISRO's Chandrayaan 3 launch in July? Retired space agency official says 'mark the date'

We might finally have a launch date for Chandrayaan 3, India's third mission to the Moon. According to Dr. P V Venkitakrishnan, a retired Director at ISRO, the lunar mission is targeted for launch on July 12 aboard the GSLV MKIII, now called LVM3 rocket from Sriharikota. In a tweet on May 21, Venkitakrishnan said that the Chandrayaan 3 lander will touch down on the lunar surface on August 23. 

"Dear India, Stay tuned for Chandrayan 3 launch by my dear GSLV MK3 on July 12th and touchdown on August 23rd.
Mark the date and calendar. Be glued to your TVs to cheer up!" Venkitakrishnan tweeted. 

Dear India,
Stay tuned for Chandrayan 3 launch by my dear GSLV MK3 on July 12th and touchdown on August 23rd .
Mark the date and calendar.
Be glued to your TVs to cheer up!

— Dr. P V Venkitakrishnan (@DrPVVenkitakri1)

ISRO yet to officially confirm the Chandrayaan launch

While the former ISRO official's claimed timeline does seem realistic, the space agency is yet to provide an official confirmation. Chandrayaan 3 is a follow-up mission of Chandrayaan 2 which launched on July 22, 2019, but failed to make a landing on the Moon. Just like its predecessor, Chandrayaan 3 will head to the lunar south pole and its landing site is believed to be between Manzius U and Boguslawsky M craters. 

ISRO says the mission aims to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface. The Chandrayaan 3 payloads include a rover (26 kg), that will be inside a lander (1,726 kg). This lander will be powered by a propulsion module (2,148 kg) until it reaches 100 km above the lunar surface. The lander will then separate and touch down following which its one lunar day-long (14 Earth days) mission will begin. 

(Chandrayaan 3 payloads; Image: ISRO)

(Chandrayaan 3 lander-rover combination; Image: ISRO)

According to ISRO, the primary mission objectives are to demonstrate a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, to operate a rover once it rolls out of the lander and to conduct in-situ scientific experiments. During the course of the mission, all the payloads of Chandrayaan-3 will collect data on the thermal properties of the lunar surface near the polar region, plasma density near the surface, chemical composition of the lunar surface, seismic activity around the landing site and much more.