New Delhi, July 22 -- India's avowed aim to pursue space research for the expansion of human knowledge got a mega lift as its second lunar mission got underway. The Chandrayaan-2 successfully blasted off from the launch site at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh at 14:43 hours on Monday, marking the end of a week-long phase of anxiety over a technical glitch that had resulted in its previous launch being aborted at the last minute on 15 July. Holding the moon-bound spacecraft back was a call well taken, and the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) deserves a pat on its back for its swift corrective measures. This is a unique moon expedition in several ways and, if successful, would catapult India into a league of nations that have soft-landed a spacecraft on the earth's only natural satellite. Only China, the former Soviet Union and the US have achieved this feat so far. Israel reportedly botched up its moon mission earlier this year, with its lunar lander feared to have crash-landed there. Unlike other exploratory efforts, India's objective is to reach a point near the south pole-on the so-called "dark side" of the moon. Bereft of sunlight and thus also solar power, studying this part is harder, but also potentially more rewarding. Coupled with the mission's impressively low cost (a total outlay of $142 million), this explains why Chandrayaan-2 has the world's attention....