The heavyweight LVM3-M4 rocket lifted off from Sriharikota in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh carrying the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, as thousands of enthusiasts clapped and cheered.

Chandrayaan-3. has begun its journey to the Moon. Health of the spacecraft is normal," the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said on Twitter.

The world's most populous nation has a comparatively low-budget aerospace programthat is rapidly closing in on the milestones set by global space powers.

Only Russia, the United States, and China have previously achieved a controlled landing on the lunar surface.