Chandrayaan means "moon vehicle" in Sanskrit. It is built on a budget of just under $75 million.

The rocket includes a 2m tall lander designed to deploy a rover near the lunar south pole, where it is expected to remain functional for two weeks running a series of experiments.

So far, only the United States, the former Soviet Union and China have made successful lunar landing. Japanese attempt earlier this year ended with the lander crashing.

Enthusiastic schools students to watch live launch of Chandrayaan

#WATCH | Over 200 schools students arrive at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh to watch the launch of #Chandrayaan3 "...I feel very confident, I want to become an astronaut like Kalpana Chawla. I am excited..," says a student, Subhashini. A teacher, Sundari says, "A very happy moment for us. It is exciting for us to be here. Students are very excited to see Chandrayaan-3 launch live. We are thankful to PM Modi and ISRO..."