First earth bound orbit raising maneuver for Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft was performed successfully on Wednesday at 2:52 pm, using the onboard propulsion system for a firing duration of 57 seconds.
The second orbit raising maneuver is scheduled on July 26 at 01:09 hrs (IST).
The Rs 978 crore Chandrayaan-2 mission was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota on July 22.
At exactly 2.43 p.m, the Rs 375 crore GSLV-Mk III rocket began its ascent into space from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC).
The 43.4 metre tall, 640 ton rocket, nicknamed 'Bahubali' for as the hero in the successful film lifts a heavy lingam, it carries the 3.8-tonne Chandrayaan-2, which will carry out India's second mission to its closest celestial neighbour.
ISRO has sent up three GSLV-Mk III rockets so far. The first carried Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment in December 2014. The second and third GSLV-Mk III carried communication satellites GSAT-19 and GSAT-29 in February 2017 and November 2018 respectively.
GSLV-Mk III will also be used for India's manned space mission in 2022.
ALSO READ | A closer look at Chandrayaan-2 launch: Camera onboard GSLV MkIII-M1 captured what no one else could
ALSO READ | Historic moment when Chandrayaan-2 lifts off from Sriharikota
ALSO READ | Giant leap for India: 'Bahubali' rocket carrying Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft is off the mark
