India’s Chandrayaan-3 Makes Historic Soft Landing on Moon, Opening Doors for Global Space Research
India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission achieved a historic milestone with a successful soft landing on the Moon, marking a significant moment in the country’s space research endeavors. The momentous achievement has opened doors for global space research and garnered praise from scientists and experts across the globe.
Veteran scientist Raghunath Mashelkar expressed his joy at witnessing this historic event, stating, Chandrayaan-3 has made history. Today is the 29,800th day of my life, and it is the proudest. I am lucky to watch history being made by India. My heartiest congratulations to the entire incredible ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) family. You have made 1.4 billion Indians proud.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission holds immense significance as it will pave the way for scientific and technological collaborations with other nations. Ajit Kembhavi, emeritus professor and director of IUCCA, highlighted the mission’s importance by stating, This is a very great technological demonstration in the world. It has proved the remarkable Indian technological knowledge. This Chandrayaan-3 mission will open scientific and technological assistance to other countries in the future.
The lunar South Pole, associated with mystery and intrigue, is a prime area of interest for scientists due to the possibility of frozen water accumulation over millions of years. Chandrayaan-3’s mission to explore this region will provide valuable data for scientific analysis and enhance our understanding of water’s history in our solar system. Only four countries—the US, Russia, China, and India—have successfully landed on the Moon, making India’s mission even more significant.
NASA space educator Leena Bokil shed light on the previous mission’s challenges and the improvements made. She explained, For the automatic landing systems during the pre-landing maneuvers, Chandrayaan had to be vertical. In the previous mission, something went wrong in that phase and there were errors recorded in the algorithms. In this mission, we fed the photographs of the Chandrayaan-2 mission using artificial intelligence and machine learning, and the Yaan used the data for soft landing.
India’s space research achievements have not only propelled the nation into the elite group of countries but also provided new business opportunities. Pramod Kale, the former director of ISRO, emphasized the potential growth in the sector, stating, Due to the success of this mission, there will now be an increased demand from other countries to launch their satellites through us. Consequently, there will be growth in this business sector.
Political leaders in Maharashtra also commended the successful mission and expressed their pride in India’s scientific community. Maharashtra governor Ramesh Bais, chief minister Eknath Shinde, deputy CM Ajit Pawar, and other ministers celebrated the achievement and recognized the collective efforts of scientists, technicians, and researchers across the country.
With India’s successful soft landing on the Moon, the nation has firmly established itself as a key player in space research. The Chandrayaan-3 mission offers new avenues for scientific collaboration and technological advancements, ensuring India’s active participation in future space exploration endeavors. The world eagerly awaits the discoveries and insights that will unfold as Chandrayaan-3 embarks on its research work, further unraveling the mysteries of the Moon’s South Pole.