CHANDRAYAAN-3

 CHANDRAYAAN- 3 : ANOTHER FEATHER ON THE HAT

"India is on the Moon” these were the words by ISRO chief S Somanath as he proudly addressed the nation. PM Modi congratulated saying “the success belongs to all humanity.”

With Chandrayaan’s touch down on the South Pole of the Moon, India became the first country to achieve this feat. After US, erstwhile USSR & China, India became only the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface. Chandrayaan-3 is India’s third lunar exploration mission under the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Chandrayaan programme.

The journey of Chandrayaan series started with ISRO’s agenda to find water on the Moon. Chandrayaan-3 was built on ‘failure- based design’ to ensure that it will not meet the same fate as its predecessor ‘Chandrayaan-2’. After Vikram lander of Chandrayaan-2 lost contact minutes before landing due to technical glitches, India had learnt from the ‘fifteen minutes of terror’ to ensure that nothing goes wrong this time.

“India, I reached my destination and you too,” tweeted ISRO after successful landing.

The South Pole of the moon remains unexplored, scientists believe it holds vital reserves of precious elements and lunar water ice. This could be used to fuel rocket and may also help to establish a permanent base on the moon. It could also provide clues to the composition of the early solar system.

Chandrayaan-3 will mark a step towards developing and demonstrating technology that would one day be used for future interplanetary missions. At an estimated cost of ₹615 crore, Chandrayaan-3 is one of India’s most inexpensive space missions. It is cheaper than big budgeted Bollywood and Hollywood films.

India, currently the world’s 5th largest economy is expected to emerge as 3rd largest economy by the end of this decade. With such technological progress, it will be a major player in the global scene and such scientific prowess will prove to be a major boost to the economy.

People all over the country unitedly rejoiced, offered special prayers at temples, mosques and gurdwaras for the successful landing, while schools remained open for extra hours to enable students to watch the historic moment live. The mission was witnessed live by people across various platforms. Social media poured in with wishes from across the globe congratulating India on her historic success. People danced and celebrated by distributing sweets.

After the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3, ISRO will continue to pursue its ambitious space exploration agenda. The mission’s success not only adds a new chapter to India’s space history but also propels the country into a new era of possibilities and advancements in space technology.