India halts space mission hour before launch

The launch of India’s second lunar mission ,The Chandrayaan-2, has been halted less than an hour before the scheduled blast-off, due to a technical problem.

The countdown stopped 56 minutes before the launch after a “technical snag was observed in launch vehicle system,” India’s space agency said.

The satellite had been scheduled for launch at 02:51 local time on Monday from Sriharikota space station on India’s eastern coast.

A new launch date will follow soon.