New Delhi, July 13 : Ahead of India’s upcoming lunar mission, scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) visited the Venkatachalapathy Temple in Tirupati to offer prayers for the success of Chandrayaan-3. The ISRO team performed a puja ceremony, using a miniature model of the spacecraft.

Scheduled for launch on Friday at 2:35 p.m. from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Chandrayaan-3 aims to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface and conduct exploration using a rover. If successful, India will become the fourth country, following the United States, Russia, and China, to accomplish this remarkable feat.

Previously, both Israeli and Indian missions experienced crash landings in 2019, while a Japanese spacecraft carrying a lander-rover and a UAE rover failed in 2022. Based on the lessons learned from these missions, ISRO scientists have made improvements to the lander’s design after a series of rigorous tests.

Offering prayers at the Tirupati temple has become a customary practice for ISRO scientists before embarking on significant missions, seeking divine blessings for their success.