General
Chandrayaan-3 Launch: ISRO All Set To Launch Its Third Moon Mission At 2:35 p.m.
The countdown for the launch of Chandrayaan-3, India’s third mission to the moon, began on Thursday at 1.05 pm at the Satish Dhawan Spaceport in Sriharikota. The board has authorised the launch at 2.35 pm on Friday and the weather conditions are expected to be favourable.
The critical 25 hours 30 minute countdown will be used to fill the rockets with cryogenic fuel and the Indian Space Research Organisation will be closely monitoring the process looking out for any fuel leak.
A successful mission would see India enter an elite club of nations that have achieved such a feat, the others being the United States, China and the former Soviet Union.
Chandrayaan-2 managed to land on the Moon but failed to manoeuvre a soft landing due to software and mechanical issues. Now they have worked on every aspect of it for four years and are hopeful of a soft landing, a former scientist was cited as saying.
ISRO Officials Seek Lord Venkateswara’s Blessings Ahead Of Launch
As is customary, ISRO chairman S Somanath accompanied by senior officials visited Lord Venkateswara temple in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh, ahead of the launch. Officials presented a miniature model of the rocket and spacecraft to the temple and sought blessings. It is an old ISRO tradition to seek the blessings of the deity ahead of satellite launches in Sriharikota. Sommanath told the media in Tirumala that the stage is set for the launch of Chandrayaan-3 and expressed confidence in the mission’s success.
“It is a long journey. We will be ready for landing on the moon possibly by the last week of August. The landing date is decided when there is sunrise on the moon. When we are landing, sunlight must be there. So the landing will be on August 23 or 24,” Somnath said.
The Chandrayaan-3, which will be India’s third lunar mission, consists of an indigenous lander module (LM), propulsion module (PM), and a rover with an objective of developing and demonstrating new technologies required for inter-planetary missions.
Details On The Mission Route
According to ISRO, the lander has the capability to soft land at a specified lunar site, and deploy the rover, which will carry out in-situ chemical analysis of the lunar surface during the course of its mobility. The Lander and the Rover have scientific payloads to carry out experiments on the lunar surface.
The LVM3 will place Chandrayaan-3 in an apogee (farthest point from Earth) of 36,500km as against 45,475km during Chandrayaan-2. The perigee (closest point to Earth) will be around 170km, nearly the same as last time. “This is being done to get more stability,” Somanath was quoted in the media.
Isro will then conduct multiple Earth-bound manoeuvres to increase Chandrayaan-3’s orbit before commands for trans-lunar insertion (TLI) that will kick off the spacecraft’s journey towards the Moon.
Chandryaan To Land On Moon On August 23
After Chandrayaan-3 reaches the moon’s orbit, the lander module will separate from the propulsion module and be eventually brought to a 100km X 30km orbit, from where commands for de-boost and final descent is expected on August 23. The lander’s legs have been further strengthened and new sensors and solar panels have been added. A key change is that ISRO has increased the size of the landing area.
“In Chandrayaan-2, the landing site was 500m X 500m and we wanted to land at the centre, which resulted in some limitations. Now, the landing site is 4km X 2. 5km. At nominal conditions, we’ll attempt landing at the centre point, but otherwise, Vikram can land anywhere in this area, giving it greater flexibility,” Somanath was quoted in the media.
Maharashtra
Akhilesh Yadav is fighting to save the country and protect the Constitution: Abu Asim Azmi

Mumbai: Samajwadi Party leader and MLA Abu Asim Azmi has congratulated SP President Akhilesh Yadav for his struggle to protect the nation and the Constitution. He stated that Akhilesh Yadav has the capacity to save the country, and the nation’s 1.4 billion citizens should recognize his efforts. Abu Asim Azmi emphasized that a strong alliance is essential to eradicate communalism and hatred from the country. He further added that the distribution of seats within such an alliance should be based on the strength of a party’s grassroots workers and its ability to secure the highest number of votes. Highlighting the political significance of Uttar Pradesh, he remarked that the path to Delhi runs through the state; therefore, a robust alliance must be formed to secure power in Uttar Pradesh and, in turn, halt those who propagate hatred.
Maharashtra
Major operation by Mumbai MIDC Police: Two suspects arrested for selling ‘hydro-ganja’ (cannabis) and other narcotics; 1 kg 896 grams of cannabis seized.

On October 29, Police Inspector Ranjit Gondkome of the Mumbai MIDC Police Station, along with the Anti-Narcotics Squad, was out on patrol as part of an operation targeting individuals involved in the consumption, purchase, and sale of narcotics. During this patrol, near the Industrial Estate on Paper Box Road, MIDC, Andheri (East), Mumbai, two individuals were observed moving about in a suspicious manner. Finding their behavior suspicious, Police Inspector Gondkome and his team moved to detain them. One of the individuals was carrying a red plastic bag. Both men attempted to flee the scene to evade the police, but they were successfully apprehended by the police team on the spot. When Police Inspector Gundkome questioned the two individuals regarding their presence at the location and their attempt to evade the police, they initially tried to mislead the officers. Upon further, more intensive questioning, ‘hydro-ganja’ (a potent form of cannabis) was discovered in their possession. Following the procedures mandated by the NDPS Act, 1985, a physical search of the individuals was conducted, along with a search of a red plastic bag held by Omkar Rajendra Pawar. This search yielded 1.896 kilograms of ‘hydro-ganja,’ with an estimated value of 6,636,000 rupees. The individuals—Omkar Rajendra Pawar (aged 28, resident of Bhakarwadi, Takoregaon, Satara District) and Piyush Madhukar Ghongde (aged 22, resident of Station area, Takoregaon, Satara District)—were found in possession of this substance, intended for sale, transport, and commercial purposes. Consequently, a case has been registered at the MIDC Police Station, Mumbai (Case No. 1244/2026), under Sections 8(c), 20(b), and 29 of the NDPS Act, 1985.
Investigations have revealed that the arrested suspects had traveled from Satara District to Mumbai city with the intent to sell this ‘hydro-ganja.’ Further investigation into the aforementioned crime is underway. This operation was carried out under the leadership of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, Joint Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Sharma, Additional Police Commissioner Abhinav Deshmukh, DCP Datta Nalawade, and MIDC Senior Police Inspector Ghanshyam Nair.
Maharashtra
ANC operation in Mumbai Dongri, recovery of hydro ganja, two arrested

Mumbai: The Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) has claimed to have seized ‘hydro-ganja’ (a potent, hydroponically-grown variety of cannabis) during an operation in the Dongri area of Mumbai. Two individuals involved in the trafficking of this substance have also been arrested. According to details, on October 28, during an operation in the Dongri area, ANC personnel spotted two individuals moving about, each carrying a blue plastic bag. Upon questioning them regarding the suspicious items, it was discovered that the first suspect was in possession of 1.823 kg of hydro-ganja, while the second suspect held 1.749 kg—amounting to a total seizure of 3.563 kg. The value of this haul in the international market is estimated to exceed 10 million rupees (one crore). This operation was carried out under the supervision of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Anil Kumbhare, Additional Commissioner of Police Krishnakant Upadhyay, and DCP (ANC) Poornima Chougule-Shringi. A case has been registered against the accused under the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act. The ANC has initiated a stringent crackdown on drug traffickers, with ongoing raids and search operations.
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