After the successful touchdown on the lunar South Pole, the Pragyan rover escaped the Vikram lander for scouring the uncharted lunar surface….reports Asian Lite News
Political leaders from across party lines took to social media to congratulate Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on Moon’s South Pole.
After the successful touchdown on the lunar South Pole, the Pragyan rover escaped the Vikram lander for scouring the uncharted lunar surface.
The Congress termed the success of Chandrayaan-3 the collective success of every Indian. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge said an elated nation with 140 crore aspirations today witnessed yet another achievement in its six-decade-long space programme and the entire world is looking up to Isro which is a matter of special pride for all Indians.
“We are deeply indebted to the remarkable hard work, unparalleled ingenuity and unflinching dedication of our scientists, space engineers, researchers and everyone involved in making this mission a triumph for India,” Kharge said.
Union home minister Amit Shah hailed the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the lunar surface and said with this, India became the first nation to touch the south pole of the moon.
“This landmark achievement is not only a testament to the power of Indian genius but it also launches India’s voyage through the Amrit Kaal to emerge as a global leader in the realm of space, as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji,” Shah wrote on ‘X’.
“Sky is not the limit,” said Union minister Jitendra Singh adding that the country is converting into reality what the world dreams of.
“While the world fantasises about the moon, we have actually felt the moon … the world dreams of the moon, and we have seen the dream getting converted into reality … sky is not the limit,” Singh said.
Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi congratulated the Isro team for today’s “pioneering feat”. “Chandrayaan3’s soft landing on the uncharted lunar South Pole is the result of decades of tremendous ingenuity and hard work by our scientific community,” he said.
Meanwhile, recalling the farsightedness of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Kharge said, “These accomplishments are a testament to the vision of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who emphasised and sincerely believed that a critical commitment to science could drive the spirit of development of our newly independent nation by igniting the spirit and minds of the people, which was later followed by successive Prime Ministers.”
“From Aryabhatta Mission, to Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma’s space Odyssey – where he said ‘Sare Jahan Se Achcha Hindustan Hamara’ to Chandrayaan Missions, India has come a long way in space research and exploration,” he added.
Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate Kapil Sibal congratulated the ISRO scientists on the success of Chandrayaan-3 and said that it is not a historic moment not just for India, ISRO but for every citizen of the country.
“It’s a historic moment not just for India, ISRO but for every citizen of the country. A moment that will be remembered for years and years to come. It’s a landmark achievement and it is inspirational for scientists in India and for everybody in India that our organisation which was set immediately after independence has reached such phenomenal heights that the world now recognises ISRO as a lead institution,” Sibal said.
“Therefore I’m over the Moon for Chandrayaan-3 having landed over the Moon…I’ve also been a Minister of Science and Technology and I know what it can do for our country,” he added.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said, “Our scientists have testified the country’s scientific and technological progress. India is now in the super league of space. Sincere congratulations to all the proud architects and stakeholders of the expedition”.
“India will lead the world on the path of both material as well as spiritual progress,” RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said congratulating the scientists and government after the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on Moon.
NCP president Sharad Pawar said Chandrayaan-3 was India’s most important attempt in space exploration.
“Chandrayaan-3’s success has given confidence to the scientific community. It will will make the whole world proud along with our country. Best wishes to all the scientists and fellow Indians. May such innovative experiments of Isro continue to fly into space!,” Pawar wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav too took to X and wrote, ‘Chand mubarak’.
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot hailed Isro for its success and posted pictures of himself watching the Moon landing with children and teachers of Jaipur schools. “Hail ISRO research. Hail Science, Hail India!,” he said in a post on X.
Taking to her official handle on X, formerly Twitter, after the rover rolled out of the lander, President Droupadi Murmu posted, “I once again congratulate the ISRO team and all fellow citizens for successful deployment of Pragyan-rover from inside Vikram-lander. Its rolling out a few hours after the landing of Vikram marked the success of yet another stage of Chandrayan 3.”
“I look forward with excitement, alongside my fellow citizens and scientists to the information and analyses that Pragyan will acquire and enrich our understanding of the moon,” the post read further.
The South Pole of Moon has deep craters shielded from sunlight for billions of years….reports Asian Lite News
The Moon’s South Pole, according to NASA, is full of “mystery, science and intrigue”, a media report said.
There are deep craters which have been shielded from sunlight for billions of years, where temperatures can plummet to astonishing lows of -248-degree C (-414 F), BBC reported.
Notably, India’s moon lander part of the Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully set its four legs softly and safely on the lunar surface in the South Pole on Wednesday evening as planned.
Water is one key reason why scientists want to explore the area around the lunar South Pole, BBC reported.
Scientists believe frozen water might have accumulated in cold polar regions over millions of years and could provide a unique sample for scientists to analyse and understand the history of water in our solar system.
If the water ice on the Moon turns out to be possible to extract, some hope it could eventually be used by astronauts, reducing the amount of water that would have be blasted into space on crewed missions, BBC reported.
Also, water molecules can be broken into hydrogen and oxygen atoms – which could perhaps one day be used as propellants for rockets.
Meanwhile, BBC reported on India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission — “This is a massive moment for India and it bumps them up the space superpower list.”
Landing on the Moon is far from easy – as Russia’s attempt this week highlighted – and many missions have failed, including India’s first attempt in 2019.
But it was second time lucky, and India now joins three other nations – the US, the former Soviet Union and China – which have successfully touched down on the lunar surface.
And they’re now ready to explore an area where no other spacecraft has been before – the lunar South Pole, BBC reported.
There’s growing scientific interest here. The craters in this region are permanently in shadow and contain frozen water. This would be a crucial resource for future human exploration – Nasa’s Artemis mission, which is sending astronauts to the Moon, is targeting this region too, the report said.
P Veeramuthuvel’s father watched Chandrayaan-3’s mission live feed from his Vilupuram home and cheered for the ISRO scientists for the successful landing on the Moon…reports Asian Lite News
P Palanivel, father of Chandrayaan-3 project director P Veeramuthuvel, on Wednesday celebrated the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 lander module on the moon’s South Pole and said that he is very happy and his son worked hard.
P Veeramuthuvel’s father watched Chandrayaan-3’s mission live feed from his Vilupuram home and cheered for the ISRO scientists for the successful landing on the Moon.
“Today Chandrayaan-3 very successfully landed. So this happiness goes to each and every person in India as well as Tamil Nadu. So I am very very happy. My son worked hard. As a father, I am sharing the happiness with you. I am very happy,” Chandrayaan-3 project director P Veeramuthuvel’s father told ANI.
The Chandrayaan-3 lander module successfully landed on the moon’s South Pole on Wednesday evening, making India the first country to have achieved the historic feat and bringing to an end the disappointment over the crash landing of the Chandrayaan-2 four years ago.
After the lander Vikram of the country’s third lunar mission made a safe and soft landing, the chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) S Somanath said, “India is on the Moon”.
Officials at India’s space agency ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru broke into applause after the Vikram began its powered vertical descent towards its landing site.
Bengaluru: Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Scientists celebrate as third lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 successfully touches down on the Moon’s surface, at the ISRO headquarters, in Bengaluru, on Wednesday, August 23, 2023. (Photo: IANS/Youtube/ISRO Official: Video Grab)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is attending the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg watched the live telecast and as soon as the touchdown happened he sported a big smile and waved the tricolour.
The countdown of the Vikram hovered at 150 metres, then 130 metres, and 50 metres and decelerated as it approached the moon’s surface before finally touching down on the lunar surface.
As the Vikram lander carrying the Pragyaan rover in its belly touched down on the lunar surface, it marked a giant leap in India’s spacefaring journey providing a well-deserved finale to ISRO’s long years of toil.
This makes India the fourth country – after the US, China, and Russia – to have successfully landed on the moon’s surface, it has earned a place in record books as the first to touchdown on the south side of Earth’s only natural satellite. (ANI)
Bengaluru, Aug 23 (ANI): Former ISRO chief, K Sivan and scientists watch the live telecast of the Chandrayaan-3 lander Vikram's soft-landing on the Moon's South Pole during Chandrayaan-3 Mission, at Mission Control Complex in Bengaluru on Wednesday. (ANI Photo)
K. Sivan was the chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) at the time of the Chandrayaan-2 mission, launched in 2019….reports Asian Lite News
As Chandrayaan-3 achieved a soft landing on the South Pole of the moon, making India the first country to reach that particular area, former ISRO chief K Sivan on Wednesday said that it is sweet news, for which they have been waiting for the last four years.
“We are really excited to see this grand success. For this, we have been waiting for the last four years. This success is sweet news for us and for the entire nation,” K Sivan said.
Sivan was the chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) at the time of the Chandrayaan-2 mission, launched in 2019.
The country’s second lunar mission was only “partially successful” since the lander lost contact, in the last moments when a distance of 2.1 km was left, and made a hard landing on the surface of the moon. Following this, the then ISRO chief Sivan broke into tears.
Meanwhile, as the Chandrayaan-3 lander module Vikram made a safe and soft landing on the Moon, the ISRO chief S Somanath said, “India is on the Moon”.
Responding to Chandrayaan-3’s success, Sivan said that the Central government is also with us and they also will be happy to see this happy moment.
On the world, closely watching this mission, he said, “Chandrayaan-3’s science data is not only for India, it is for the global scientists.”
“The scientists will use this data globally to discover new things from it,” he added.
Meanwhile, former Professor of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) RC Kapoor, said, “This is the best moment of my life and we can’t express our excitement as it landed. This is the moment to congratulate ISRO, the whole nation and the entire world…”
He said that this opens the floodgates to research and increase activity in the Southern part of the moon.
“India is now one of the four topmost space agencies of the world,” the astronomer added.
Officials at India’s space agency ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru broke into applause after the Vikram began its powered vertical descent towards its landing site.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is attending the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg watched the live telecast and as soon as the touchdown happened he sported a big smile and waved the tricolour.
The countdown of the Vikram hovered at 150 metres, then 130 metres, and 50 metres and decelerated as approached the moon’s service before finally touching down on the lunar surface.
As the Vikram lander carrying the Pragyaan rover in its belly touched down on the lunar surface, it marked a giant leap in India’s spacefaring journey providing a well-deserved finale to ISRO’s long years of toil.
This makes India the fourth country – after the US, China, and Russia – to have successfully landed on the moon’s surface, it has earned a place in record books as the first to touchdown on the south side of Earth’s only natural satellite.
Billions of people across India and globally closely monitoring the much-awaited event. More so after Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashed on Sunday after spinning out of control.
In the run-up to the scheduled soft landing of Chandrayaan-3, people across the country prayed to God in all denominations of places of worship for a successful mission.
Special screenings of the soft landing were organized across the country, including schools and science centers, and public institutions. ISRO made the live actions available on the ISRO website, its YouTube channel, Facebook, and public broadcaster DD National TV.
The scheduled timing for the soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon’s south pole on August 23, 2023 (Wednesday), was 18:04 IST, with the powered descent of Vikram lander at 1745 IST.
ISRO had been releasing a series of up-close images of the moon, assisting the lander module in determining its position (latitude and longitude) by matching them against an onboard moon reference map.
Historically, spacecraft missions to the Moon have primarily targeted the equatorial region due to its favourable terrain and operating conditions. However, the lunar south pole presents a vastly different and more challenging terrain compared to the equatorial region.
The spacecraft was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota on July 14.
A GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle was used for the launch of the spacecraft that was placed in the lunar orbit on August 5 and since then it was through a series of orbital manoeuvres been lowered closer to the moon’s surface. (ANI)
India's Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj speaks at the United Nations Security Council on Monday, April 24, 2023. (Photo Source: UN)
Of India’s lunar mission contributing to various objectives to the UN, Kamboj singled out the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of gender equality…reports Arul Louis
“By aiming for the moon, India has not only reached it, but also set our sights on the limitless possibilities that lie ahead (and) as the saying goes, ‘To infinity and beyond’,” India’s Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj has said.
While the successful landing of the Chandrayan-3 on the moon “symbolises the aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians,” she added on Wednesday that “it’s a historic moment for humanity as we venture into uncharted territory near the moon’s South Pole”.
“What really stands out is that India is the first country to land on the South Pole of the moon, where many others have not succeeded so far,” she said.
Before her news conference here, India received congratulations from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and General Assembly President Csaba Korosi.
Conveying congratulations from Guterres, who is in Johannesburg for the BRICS meeting of the Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa group, his Associate Spokesperson Florencia Soto Nino said at the UN noon briefing, “This is a great achievement.”
“We wish India a greater success in its space exploration,” she added.
Korosi’s Spokesperson Pulina Kubiak said that he congratulated India and that within his office, “many of the Indian colleagues were celebrating that achievement.”
United States Permanent Representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield congratulated India in a post on X (formerly Twitter) and said, “Look forward to further deepening US-India space cooperation — including our work together at the @UN and beyond — as new frontiers continue to be explored.”
Of India’s lunar mission contributing to various objectives to the UN, Kamboj singled out the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of gender equality.
“A very significant number of scientists who worked on India’s moon mission Chandrayaan-3 are women, very much in sync with India’s model of women-led growth and development and also linking beautifully with SDG 5, which is all about gender equity,” she said.
Globally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi “has emphasised that the success belongs to all of us and holds promise for future scientific achievements that will benefit humanity as a whole,” she added.
In a reference to India’s international space cooperation, Kamboj said, “For India, and mankind ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) has launched many rockets and satellites.”
“ISROS’s own lunar and interplanetary missions, including the latest Chandrayaan-3, along with other scientific projects, encourage and promote science education,” she added.
On the significance of the lunar landing for developing countries as whole, Kamboj quoted Modi: “I am confident that all countries in the world, including those from the Global South are capable of achieving such feats. We can all aspire to the moon and beyond.”
Speaking last year at a meeting of the General Assembly panel on peaceful uses of outer space, Nitish Birdi, the Minister in India’s permanent mission, outlined the scope of New Delhi’s global cooperation.
He said that India has signed more than 260 space cooperation documents covering aspects such as technology protection, ground station support, cooperation in aerosol monitoring, space situational awareness and peaceful uses of outer space.
A reporter asked Kamboj whether she intended to seek a resolution from the General Assembly or other organisations “to mark this significant milestone”.
She replied, “Thank you very much for putting that thought in our mind. I will come back to you on this.”
A Palestinian journalist asked Kamboj about Kashmir, as well about expanding BRICS membership and if the successful lunar mission enhanced India’s chances for becoming a permanent member of the Security Council.
She declined to answer the questions which she said were “valid”, but that “this is not the moment for these questions. Today’s the day of celebration, and we are focusing on India’s success and indeed, the success of the whole of humanity”.
She, however, offered to meet the journalist at India’s mission to discuss the questions.
“India is on the moon!” Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is currently attending the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg said
It was a giant leap for India on Wednesday evening as the Chandrayaan-3 lander module successfully landed on the moon’s South Pole, making it the first country to have achieved the historic feat and bringing to an end the disappointment over the crash landing of the Chandrayaan-2, four years ago.
Officials at India’s space agency ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru broke into applause after the Vikram began its powered vertical descent towards its landing site.
“India is on the moon!” Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is currently attending the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg said. He watched the live telecast and as soon as the touchdown happened he sported a big smile and waved the tricolour.
The countdown of the Vikram hovered at 150 metres, then 130 metres, 50 metres and decelerated as approached the moon’s service before finally touching down on the lunar surface.
As the Vikram lander carrying the Pragyaan rover in its belly touched down on the lunar surface, it marked a giant leap in India’s spacefaring journey providing a well-deserved finale to ISRO’s long years of toil.
This makes India becomes the fourth country – after US, China, and Russia – to have successfully landed on the moon’s surface, it has earned a place in record books as the first to touchdown on the south side of Earth’s only natural satellite.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission: 'India🇮🇳, I reached my destination and you too!' : Chandrayaan-3
Chandrayaan-3 has successfully soft-landed on the moon 🌖!.
Billions of people across India and globally closely monitoring the much-awaited event. More so after Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashed on Sunday after spinning out of control.
In the run-up to the scheduled soft landing of Chandrayaan-3, people across the country prayed to God in all denominations of places of worship for a successful mission.
Special screenings of the soft landing were organized across the country, including schools and science centers, and public institutions. ISRO made the live actions available on the ISRO website, its YouTube channel, Facebook, and public broadcaster DD National TV.
The scheduled timing for the soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon’s south pole on August 23, 2023 (Wednesday), was 18:04 IST, with the powered descent of Vikram lander at 1745 IST.
ISRO had been releasing a series of up-close images of the moon, assisting the lander module in determining its position (latitude and longitude) by matching them against an onboard moon reference map.
Historically, spacecraft missions to the Moon have primarily targeted the equatorial region due to its favourable terrain and operating conditions. However, the lunar south pole presents a vastly different and more challenging terrain compared to the equatorial region.
Historic day for India's space sector. Congratulations to @isro for the remarkable success of Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission. https://t.co/F1UrgJklfp
The spacecraft was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota on July 14.
A GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle was used for the launch of the spacecraft that was placed in the lunar orbit on August 5 and since then it was through a series of orbital manoeuvres been lowered closer to the moon’s surface.
Ever since the July 14 launch, ISRO had been maintaining that the health of the spacecraft remained “normal”.
On August 5, Chandrayaan-3 was successfully inserted into the lunar orbit with multiple key manoeuvres thereafter.
Then on August 17, the mission marked another giant leap in its lunar quest as the ‘Vikram’ lander module of the spacecraft successfully separated from the propulsion module on Thursday. The Chandrayaan-3 mission’s lander is named after Vikram Sarabhai (1919–1971), who is widely regarded as the father of the Indian space programme.
Then the deboosting of the Lander module was undertaken in two phases. Deboosting is the process of slowing down to position itself in an orbit where the orbit’s closest point to the Moon is.
The stated objectives of Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission, were safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, the rover moving on the moon’s surface, and in-situ scientific experiments.
Upon landing, the lander and the rover were to operate for one lunar day. One day on the Moon is equal to 14 days on Earth.
Chandrayaan-3’s development phase commenced in January 2020, with the launch planned sometime in 2021.
However, the Covid-19 pandemic brought an unforeseen delay to the mission’s progress. The approved cost of Chandrayaan-3 is Rs 250 crores (excluding launch vehicle cost).
Chandrayaan-2 mission was only “partially successful” since the lander lost contact after a hard landing, but the ISRO earlier this week successfully established two-way communication between the Chandrayaan-3 lander module and the still orbiting Chandrayaan-2 orbiter.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) founder Vikram Sarabhai, who is considered the father of the Indian space program, once said India must be second to none in the application of advanced technologies to the real problems facing society.
The establishment of the ISRO was one of Vikram Sarabhai’s greatest achievements. He successfully convinced the government of the day of the importance of a space programme for a developing country like India. (ANI)
The Chandrayaan-3 was put into orbit on July 14 in a copybook style by India’s heavy lift rocket LVM3. The spacecraft completed orbiting around the earth and headed towards the moon on August 1…reports Asian Lite News
Wishing Indians ‘good luck’, Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams has said she will cheer for India as Chandrayaan-3 mission’s lander module attempts a touchdown on the moon’s surface on Wednesday.
“I am super excited for Chandrayaan-3 on the 23rd of August. Good luck, we are cheering for you,” the veteran NASA astronaut said in a video message shared by National Geographic India.
Williams, who has spent about 322 days in space in her two shuttle missions, said that landing on the moon will provide valuable insights on lunar composition and history.
National Geographic India will telecast a live coverage of the event, which will also feature inputs from space industry experts as well as astronauts like Williams and Rakesh Sharma on space exploration.
“We salute the brave dreamers of the Indian Space Research Organisation. Watch India’s historic touchdown, Chandrayaan 3 Live #countdowntohistory on 23 August at 4 pm on National Geographic,” the channel wrote on platform X.
According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the lander will begin its moon landing descent at 5.45 pm today, and the touch down to happen at about 6.05 p.m.
The soft landing is a tricky issue as it involves a series of complex manoeuvres consisting of rough and fine braking. ISRO said the powered descent of the lander will happen from an altitude of 25 km.
The Chandrayaan-3 was put into orbit on July 14 in a copybook style by India’s heavy lift rocket LVM3. The spacecraft completed orbiting around the earth and headed towards the moon on August 1.
The success of the mission is of prime importance to India, which will become the fourth country to master the soft-landing technology on moon surface after the US, China and the erstwhile Soviet Union.
In addition, it will also become the first country to reach the unexplored larger south pole of the Moon.
In a riveting autobiography studded with anecdotes from his crowded life at the Indian Space Research Organisation, G. Madhavan Nair, presents rich insights, blending the personal with the historical, into the milestone moments in the history of space research in India, from the visionary days of Pandit Nehru, Homi J. Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai to the present, with some memorable stories about the human side of Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
(In these excerpts from ‘Rocketing Through The Skies: An Eventful Life at ISRO’, Rupa, Rs 795, Madhavan Nair remembers November 14, 2008, when the Moon Impact Probe was launched successfully by Chandrayaan-1 and how Dr Kalam, who had first floated the idea of India’s mission to the Moon on the day when Neil Armstrong set foot on it in 1969, named the landing spot ‘Jawahar Sthal’.)
The Moon has enthralled humankind from time immemorial. Poets have compared it with the beautiful faces of women. The Puranas have revered it as a god, a deva. Any new knowledge about the Moon has always been important for us earthlings. In that spirit, when the whole of India was waiting with bated breath for news about the progress of Chandrayaan-1, ISRO declared to the nation that its maiden attempt to take the spacecraft to a precise orbit around the Moon was a complete success.
Chandrayaan-1 carried a module called Moon Impact Probe (MIP), which was to be put on the surface of the Moon as proof of India’s arrival.
The module had the Indian tricolour inscribed on it and contained a high-resolution mass spectrometer, a video camera and an S-band altimeter, among other instruments, for uncovering hitherto unknown details about the tenuous atmosphere of the Moon.
At last, the D-day for the MIP to touch the Moon’s surface dawned: November 14, 2008. Like every day, I reached my office at the ISRO headquarters (HQ) in Bengaluru at 9.00 a.m. After some urgent meetings regarding future activities, I reached the specially set-up control centre in Peenya, Bengaluru, which was in charge of the mission operations of Chandrayaan-1. …
An hour before the MIP was to be detached from the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, former president of India and my guru, strode into the control room flashing his trademark smile. He had not been able to come to Sriharikota for the launch of Chandrayaan-1 but kept his word to be with us to witness the landing of the MIP on the surface of the Moon.
I arranged spiced buttermilk — his favourite — for him and explained the details of the mission. He went around the newly built control room and appreciated the internal architecture as well as the sophisticated instrumentation. The control room was as big as a tennis court and as high as a two-storied building, fitted with the latest facilities.
A giant display screen on the wall continuously showed the status of each of the instruments aboard Chandrayaan-1. The schedule of the upcoming operations was being projected on another screen. More than a hundred computers and an equal number of scientists were engrossed in work all around the room.
Professor U.R. Rao, former chairman of ISRO, also joined us.
Maintaining communications with the spacecraft at the distance of the Moon is indeed a very challenging task. A giant dish antenna with a diameter of 30m and a very sensitive receiver had been set up to capture the weak signals arriving from a distance of 400,000 km. Using completely home-grown technology, the receiving centre was able to accurately follow the spacecraft to collect data from it and relay it to the mission control centre in Peenya within seconds.
Dr Kalam was excited to see the most modern set-up and remarked that he felt as if he was in a wonderland!
At exactly six minutes past 8.00 p.m., the command to initiate the Moon impact sequence was transmitted to Chandrayaan-1. As the command was executed by the spacecraft, the MIP was severed from the mother craft. The final journey of the MIP started from an altitude of 200 km above the Moon. The speed of the MIP had to be reduced so that it descended to the lunar surface by gravitational pull.
To commence the free fall, the velocity of the MIP was reduced by firing the small solid rocket attached to it. As we looked anxiously at the screens in the control room, the MIP descended on the Moon and finally impacted at a spot near the pole, beside the Shackleton crater. The Indian flag on the MIP inscribed India’s presence on the Moon forever, heralding the nation’s entry into the elite club of the countries that had earlier placed national flags on the Moon (the USA, Russia and China).
Thus, the dream mission, announced on Independence Day, 15 August 2003, by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, became a reality five years later, on 14 November, the birthday of the first prime minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. It was heartening that this historic moment was witnessed by Dr Kalam, who had originally put forth the idea that India must also place its flag on the Moon. We joined in the joyous uproar of hundreds of scientists in the control centre.
… An Indian spacecraft had reached the Moon in its first attempt, that too at one-fifth the expense usually incurred by the developed countries! All the payloads in the spacecraft had been made operational, including the six payloads from other countries. Volumes of data had been received and provided valuable information about the Moon.
… I presented Dr Kalam with a model of the Moon with the exact landing place of MIP marked on it and another of the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft. He patted me on the back and said in his characteristic style: “You, buddy, you have done it!” To the entire control room, he announced, “Today is a historic day as India has accomplished this fantastic mission. I congratulate each and every one of you!”
He made a suggestion before returning to New Delhi — to name the impact location after Pandit Nehru. This declaration was made later with the permission of the Government of India and the place was christened ‘Jawahar Sthal’.
HOW THUMBA BECAME INCUBATOR OF INDIA’S SPACE DREAMS
The love for Kerala and the search for a suitable place near the Earth’s magnetic equator had brought Dr Vikram Sarabhai to Thumba. The scientists of the INCOSPAR (Indian National Committee for Space Research) were searching for such a location in India.
The line connecting the magnetic poles of the Earth is inclined at an angle of 8 degrees with the Earth’s axis and, hence, to that extent, the plane of the magnetic equator is inclined to the geographic equator at 8 degrees too. Above this magnetic equator, at an altitude of 80-150 km, there is a belt of electrically charged particles around the Earth, and the flow of electrons from the west to east is called EEJ, a phenomenon of great interest to scientists.
Since balloons cannot reach beyond 30 km in the sky, small rockets are launched to cut across the electrojet to study its characteristics. Such rockets that carry instruments collecting data from the upper atmosphere are called sounding rockets and need to be launched from places near the magnetic equator.
Noted Malayali meteorologist Professor P.R. Pisharoty, along with Professor Eknath Vasant Chitnis, had scanned different places in Kerala for a suitable location. They soon found two possibilities — Vellanaathuruthu in Kollam District and Thumba in Thiruvananthapuram. The first was closer to the magnetic equator and more suitable for the purpose. Thumba is half a degree away to the south, and, in addition, there were some religious and social challenges to be addressed.
But the name ‘Vellanaathuruthu’ posed an issue. Professor Pisharoty had translated ‘Vellana’ into English for Dr Sarabhai, explaining that the word meant ‘white elephant’, a phrase indicating an edifice of no use.
Dr Sarabhai, being the proponent of professionalism, did not want his premier space venture to carry such a name. Additionally, Thumba was closer to Thiruvananthapuram, where logistics and more connectivity were available. He took the decision to establish the launching station in Thumba.
DR SARABHAI AND THE NEHRUVIAN VISION
Dr Sarabhai, undoubtedly the soul of the organisation, began the proceedings with a detailed speech describing all the milestones in seeding Indian efforts towards space research. A Centaure rocket had been launched from Thumba on that day.
Though I was busy because of that launch, the highlights of Dr Sarabhai’s speech are still etched in my mind. He started with reminiscences about the great contributions made by Pandit Nehru and Dr Bhabha towards the development of science and technology in India. Then he dwelt upon the criticisms raised in India against efforts in atomic energy and space. Since we continue to hear those arguments even today, the following words of Dr Sarabhai on the topic are still relevant:
There are some who question the relevance of space activities for a developing nation. To us there is no ambiguity of purpose.
We do not have the fantasy of competing with the economically advanced nations in explorations of the Moon or the planets or manned space flights. But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally and in the comity of nations, then we must be second to none in the application of advanced technology to solve the real problems of man and society in our country.
And we should note that the application of sophisticated technologies and methods of analysis to our problems is not to be confused with embarking on grandiose schemes, whose primary impact is for show rather than for progress measured in hard economic and societal terms.
THE GREATNESS OF DR A.P.J. ABDUL KALAM
… if any team member had a personal or family emergency, Dr Kalam would be the first to pitch in to solve it. Most of us had such experiences.
I can never forget what happened when my elder son Dileepan was just a year old. It was the end of 1969 or the beginning of 1970. I was in the lab busy with some project work. A phone call came from home to Dr Kalam’s office saying that my son was ill. He had been having fits and had to be taken to the hospital immediately.
Later in the evening, Dr Kalam told me, “Madhavan, Dileep was not well. We have done whatever was needed. Now he is okay.” I realiSed that Dr Kalam had not informed me as soon as the message came! Feeling distraught and a little piqued, I rushed to the hospital. My son was indeed better.
Afterwards, I came to know the care with which Dr Kalam had handled the situation. As soon as he got the message, he sent the administrative officer to my house and made all necessary arrangements to take Dileepan to the hospital. He also called the hospital superintendent and ensured prompt attention.
Dr Kalam then visited the hospital, saw my son and reassured Radha. When I came to know all this, whatever little resentment I had in my mind simply vanished.
Dr Kalam understood the demands of family life even though he himself was a bachelor. We see this when we read a poem written by him later, after the successful experimental flight of the Agni missile. In the poem, he asks who crafted the Agni success and states that it is in fact the wives and mothers of the team members.
Dr Kalam was 10 years older than me, and for me, he was nothing less than an elder brother.
In contrast to many other scientists, Dr Kalam had been educated and trained in India and not in institutions abroad. But his hard work, focus on goals and exemplary management qualities put him a step ahead of the others. He was a real workaholic. He used to avoid the topic of his marriage. Several suggestions would come from his family and friends, but he would somehow find his way out of those discussions.
Once, the matter reached the stage of meeting a girl and her family. But Dr Kalam’s sister-in-law, who was to accompany him, became unwell, and the meeting had to be postponed. The next time it was scheduled, it coincided with one of the launch events, and Kalam opted to stay and work. The matter could not be taken up again as Dr Kalam simply refused to go for any such meetings. …
One day, Dr Kalam’s elder brother came to Thiruvananthapuram to meet him. Once he arrived in the office jeep, Dr Kalam took him to the mess for lunch and promptly sent him back. He then insisted on paying the charges for the jeep and the lunch.
That was the kind of person he was! There was no change in him even when he became the President of India.
1969: DREAMING OF THE MOON ON A BEACH
On many occasions, I had to work non-stop for up to three days. We would finish work only very late at night, and all the shops nearby would be closed. There would be nothing to eat. Dr Kalam would go out in search of something for us on such occasions. He knew a small tea-shop owner near the railway gate at Kulathoor.
Sometimes, the shop would be closed when Dr Kalam reached. He would then go straight to the shopkeeper’s house, wake him up, get some biscuits or buns and bring them to the office. He would also make some black tea for us.
On one such night, we were working on integrating a Russian-made radio frequency mass spectrometer in the payload. After eating a couple of biscuits each and drinking some water, we took a short break on the beach. I sat on the beach and tuned the small radio I had with me to catch the news broadcast on Voice of America.
After some time, we heard the newsreader make an announcement, “Neil Armstrong has landed on the surface of the Moon. Let us listen to his words.” All of us, including Dr Kalam, waited in pin-drop silence. Then we heard those famous words in the voice of Neil Armstrong: “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Years later, in the Chandrayaan-1 mission, we had made arrangements to take photographs of the marks left by the lunar module, Eagle, when it had landed on the Moon. Our spacecraft captured the Eagle’s marks along with many other vehicles’.
Recently, when I was giving a talk at a school, a student asked me, “Sir, is it true that man has landed on the Moon?”
“Yes, it is true,” I said emphatically. “I have listened to the live broadcast on Voice of America on the occasion of the first man landing on the Moon and heard the historic words of Armstrong directly.
“Not only that, our own Chandrayaan-1 has photographed the marks left by their vehicle on the Moon.”
That night, while sitting on the Thumba beach, Dr C.R. Sathya, Sudhakar, Dr Kalam and I discussed an Indian mission to the Moon. In our youthful enthusiasm, we concluded that it was quite possible for us also to achieve, if political will, as demonstrated by President Kennedy, was available.
However, Dr Sarabhai’s vision had no place for Moon missions. He declared that we did not have the intention to go to the Moon or other planets, like the rich nations. Space technology was only to be used to enrich the quality of life of the poor in India. I am proud that we did fulfil all his dreams in due course.
(Excerpted with permission from the publishers, Rupa Publications India.)
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft comprises a propulsion module (weighing 2,148 kg), lander (1,723.89 kg) and a rover (26 kg)…reports Asian Lite News
Moving India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft closer to the moon on Wednesday, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said the lander module is slated for separation from the propulsion module on Thursday.
“Today’s successful firing, needed for a short duration, has put Chandrayaan-3 into an orbit of 153 km x 163 km, as intended. With this, the lunar bound maneuvres are completed. It’s time for preparations as the Propulsion Module and the Lander Module gear up for their separate journeys. Separation of the Lander Module from the Propulsion Module is planned for August 17, 2023,” the space agency said in a tweet.
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft comprises a propulsion module (weighing 2,148 kg), lander (1,723.89 kg) and a rover (26 kg).
The main purpose of India’s third moon mission is to land the lander softly on the moon.
The Chandrayaan-2 mission failed as the lander called Vikram crashed on to the moon.
According to the ISRO, the lander is expected to make a soft-landing near the South Pole of the moon on August 23 at 5.47 p.m.
The lander will descend to the moon from a height of about 100 km from the moon’s surface.
The soft landing is a tricky issue as it involves a series of complex manoeuvres consisting of rough and fine braking.
Imaging of the landing site region prior to landing will be done for finding safe and hazard-free zones.
Subsequent to the soft landing, the six-wheeled rover will roll out and carry out experiments on the lunar surface for a period of one lunar day which is equal to 14 earth days.
The Chandrayaan-3 was put into orbit on July 14 in a copybook style by India’s heavy lift rocket LVM3.
The spacecraft completed orbiting around the earth and headed towards the moon on August 1.
On that day a successful perigee-firing performed at ISTRAC, the ISRO had injected the spacecraft into the translunar orbit.
Chandrayan-3 captured stunning images of the lunar surface after entering the Moon’s orbit…reports Asian Lite News
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday said the GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle, which lifted off successfully with the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, underwent a planned orbit reduction manoeuvre, bringing it closer to the moon.
The space agency said it will carry out the next such operation on August 9.
“The spacecraft successfully underwent a planned orbit reduction manoeuvre. The retrofitting of engines brought it closer to the Moon’s surface, now to 170 km x 4313 km. The next operation to further reduce the orbit is scheduled for August 9, between 13:00 and 14:00 hours IST,” the ISRO tweeted on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the space agency on Sunday put out the first images of the moon as captured by Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission.
Chandrayan-3 captured stunning images of the lunar surface after entering the Moon’s orbit on Saturday.
“The Moon, as viewed by #Chandrayaan3 spacecraft during Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) on August 5, 2023,” tweeted the Mission’s official Twitter handle.
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, which covered about two-thirds of the distance to the Moon since its launch, successfully entered into the Lunar orbit on Saturday, according to ISRO.
The spacecraft, mounted on GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle, successfully lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota on July 14.
India became only the fourth country after the US, China, and Russia to land its spacecraft on the surface of the moon, demonstrating the country’s ability for a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface.
Upon landing, it will operate for one lunar day, which is approximately 14 Earth days. One day on the Moon is equal to 14 days on Earth.
The approved cost of Chandrayaan-3 is Rs 250 crore (Excluding Launch Vehicle Cost).Chandrayaan-3’s development phase commenced in January 2020 with the launch initially planned in 2021. However, the Covid-19 pandemic brought an unforeseen delay to the mission’s progress.Chandrayaan-3 is the ISRO’s follow-up attempt after the Chandrayaan-2 mission faced challenges during its soft landing on the lunar surface in 2019 and was eventually deemed to have failed its core mission objectives.
The key scientific outcomes from Chandrayaan-2 include the first-ever global map for lunar sodium, enhancing knowledge on crater size distribution, unambiguous detection of lunar surface water ice with IIRS instrument and more. The mission has been featured in almost 50 publications.
Moon serves as a repository of the Earth’s past and a successful lunar mission by India will help enhance life on Earth while also enabling it to explore the rest of the solar system and beyond.
Meanwhile, former ISRO scientist Tapan Mishra said the lunar mission was an illustration of the country breaking new grounds in space exploration.
Speaking to ANI in Kolkata, Mishra said, “Our rockets (launch vehicles) are not very powerful. Once the rockets escape the earth, they need a velocity of 11.2 km/s to make further progress. Since our launch vehicles don’t operate at such velocity, we resorted to the sling-slot mechanism.” (ANI)
