Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first stop back in India from Greece on Saturday was Bengaluru where he interacted with and congratulated scientists of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for the successful landing of the Chandrayaan-3 moon mission.
Speaking at the ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), PM Modi declared the historic touchdown of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft near the moon’s south pole “a roaring announcement of India’s scientific achievement in the infinite universe”. The feat made India the first country to land a spacecraft near the moon’s south pole.
During the speech, the Prime Minister announced that the landing point of Chandrayaan-3 will be known as Shivshakti, while August 23 shall henceforth be known as National Space Day in India. In a poignant nod to ISRO scientists whose early work paved the way for Chandrayaan-3, Modi announced that the lunar point where Chandrayaan-2 left its imprints would be known as ‘Tiranga Point’.
Highlights of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech:
- India is on the moon! We have our national pride placed on the moon! This is no ordinary achievement. It’s a roaring announcement of India’s scientific achievement in the infinite universe.
- Our ‘moon lander’ has firmly set its foot on the moon like ‘Angad’. Today, the name of Chandrayaan is resonating among children of India. Every child is seeing his or her future in the scientists.
- In the success of Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission, our women scientists, the country’s Nari Shakti, have played a big role.
- Today, the entire world is witnessing and accepting the strength of India’s scientific spirit, our technology and our scientific temperament.
- On August 23, India hoisted flag on the moon. From now, that day will be known as National Space Day in India.
- The spot where Chandrayaan-3’s moon lander landed will be known as ‘Shivshakti’.
- The point on the moon where Chandrayaan 2 left its imprints will now be called ‘Tiranga Point’.
- Today, from trade to technology, India is being counted among the countries standing in the first row. In the journey from ‘third row’ to ‘first row’, institutions like our ‘ISRO’ have played a huge role.
- In this period of the 21st century, the country which takes the lead in science and technology, will move ahead.
- You took ‘Make in India’ to the moon. You have awakened an entire generation and left a deep imprint on them.
After a failed attempt to land on the moon in 2019, India on Wednesday joined the United States, the Soviet Union and China as only the fourth country to achieve this milestone.
The successful mission showcases India’s rising standing as a technology and space powerhouse and dovetails with the image that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to project: an ascendant country asserting its place among the global elite.
The mission began more than a month ago at an estimated cost of $75 million. ISRO Chairman S Somnath said India would next attempt a manned lunar mission.
Many countries and private companies are interested in the moon’s South Pole region because its permanently shadowed craters may hold frozen water that could help future astronaut missions, as a potential source of drinking water or to make rocket fuel.
India’s success comes just days after Russia’s Luna-25, which was aiming for the same lunar region, spun into an uncontrolled orbit and crashed. It would have been the first successful Russian lunar landing after a gap of 47 years.
Active since the 1960s, India has launched satellites for itself and other countries, and successfully put one in orbit around Mars in 2014. India is planning its first mission to the International Space Station next year, in collaboration with the United States.