File image released by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) of Chandrayaan-3 Vikram Lander. Photo: X

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a candid chat with Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath, making his podcast debut on the entrepreneur’s People by WTF series. During the podcast, he spoke about his unexpected journey in politics and how he deals with failures among other things.

“I am not someone who will spend his life crying over a setback… One has to take risks at every moment,” PM Modi said.

Citing the example of Chandrayaan-2, which failed at the last hurdle in 2019, the Prime Minister said that many people didn’t want him to go to the launch event.

“They said, ‘Sir, it is uncertain. Every country in the world has failed. They succeed only after the fourth or sixth attempt. What if something untoward happens?’ I said, ‘So what? Now, don’t I have any responsibility towards it? So I went,” he said.

“(Chandrayaan-2) crashed at the last moment. Everyone present there was worried. No one had the courage to inform the Prime Minister about it,” he added.

PM Modi recalled that he couldn’t sleep that night and decided to meet the team that worked on the mission before he left because “it was a big setback for the country”.

“I am not someone who will spend his life crying over a setback. I went in the morning and told all the scientists, ‘If there is a failure, then it is my responsibility’,” he said, adding he did everything to instil as much “confidence as I could in them. And Chandrayaan-3 was successful”.

Watch:

The mission control lost contact with the Chandrayaan-2 lunar module moments before its slated landing. Back at the ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru, K Sivan broke down. The Prime Minister, who had flown down to the southern city to watch the landing event, hugged and consoled Mr Sivan.

Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed on the moon on August 23, 2023, in a mission seen as crucial to lunar exploration and India’s standing as a space power.

The Prime Minister, during the podcast, also spoke about the lessons from the Chandrayaan-2 failure that he uses in politics.

“You see, taking risks in politics requires a lot of preparation. One has to take risks at every moment,” he said.

In the two-hour podcast, PM Modi also shared about his childhood, education, his journey in politics and how he handles anxiety.

ISRO chief S. Somanath receives the IAF World Space Award for Chandrayaan-3 mission success during a ceremony, in Milan, Italy.
| Photo Credit: PTI

ISRO said on Monday (October 14, 2024) its Chairman S. Somanath has received the International Astronautical Federation’s (IAF) prestigious World Space Award for Chandrayaan-3’s remarkable achievement.

“This recognition celebrates India’s contributions to space exploration. Celebrations underway in Milan (Italy) as we continue to strive for new frontiers,” the national agency headquartered here said in an online post.

According to the IAF, Chandrayaan-3 mission by ISRO exemplifies the synergy of scientific curiosity and cost-effective engineering, symbolising India’s commitment to excellence and the vast potential that space exploration offers humanity.

“Rapidly unveiling previously undiscovered facets of the Moon’s composition and geology, the mission stands as a global testament to innovation. Achieving a historic milestone, Chandrayaan-3 becomes the first to touch down near the lunar South Pole, showcasing both aspiration and technological prowess on an international scale,” the IAF said in a statement.

Chandrayaan-3 was launched July 6 last year from Sriharikota spaceport and it successfully made the soft landing near the South Pole on August 23.

Rollout of rover of ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 from the lander to the lunar surface, as observed by Lander Imager Camera, on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI

India’s lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 possibly landed in one of the oldest craters of the Moon, according to scientists who analysed images from the mission and satellites.

The crater was formed during the Nectarian period, which dates back to 3.85 billion years and is one of the oldest time periods in the Moon’s history, the team, including researchers from the Physical Research Laboratory and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Ahmedabad said.

S Vijayan, an associate professor in the Planetary Sciences Division, Physical Research Laboratory, told PTI, “Chandrayaan-3 landing site is a unique geological setting where no other missions have gone. The images from the mission’s Pragyan rover are the first on-site ones of the Moon at this latitude. They reveal how the Moon evolved over time”.

A crater is formed when an asteroid crashes into the surface of a larger body like a planet or a Moon, and the displaced material is called ‘ejecta’.

Revealing how the Moon evolved over time, the images showed that one-half of the crater was buried under material thrown out or ‘ejecta’ from the South Pole-Aitken basin — the largest and most known impact basin on the Moon, the researchers said.

An impact basin is a large, complex crater with diameter over 300 km, while a crater measures under 300 km in diameter.

Forming of ejecta is “similar to when you throw a ball on sand and some of it gets displaced or thrown outwards into a small pile,” explained Vijayan, who is the corresponding author on the study that appeared in the journal Icarus.

“When an impact basin is forming, surface material will be thrown out. If the diameter of the impact basin is larger, sub-surface materials from greater depths will be excavated,” Mr. Vijayan said.

In this case, Chandrayaan-3 was found to have landed within a crater — about 160 km in diameter — and detected in the images as a nearly semi-circular structure.

The researchers said this likely indicated one half of the crater, the other half of which was ‘degraded’ by getting buried under ejecta from the South Pole-Aitken basin.

“Further, near the landing site, ejecta or material ‘thrown out’ from another impact crater further away was observed — images captured by the Pragyan rover revealed that material of the same nature was present at the landing site,” Mr. Vijayan said.

The Pragyan rover was deployed on the lunar surface by the Vikram lander, on-board the Chandrayaan-3.

“Together, the images from the mission and satellites showed that the Chandrayaan-3 landing site consists of material deposited from different regions of the Moon,” he said.

The mission, launched by ISRO, Bengaluru, made a soft landing near the Moon’s south pole on August 23, 2023. The landing site was christened the Shiv Shakti Point on August 26, 2023.

To validate their results, the researchers also observed other craters formed during the Nectarian period and found that most of them were severely degraded and modified — a finding that “substantiates our discovery of a buried crater.”

The finding is also an indication of the weathering effects due to exposure to space, or ‘space weathering,’ they said.

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said on his monthly radio broadcast ‘Mann Ki Baat’ that the country can never forget the Chandrayaan-3 achievement and the scientific developments are happening because of the collective efforts of the people.

The Prime Minister said a lot is happening in 21st-century India, which is strengthening the foundation of a developed nation.

“…For example, on the 23rd of August, the country celebrated the first National Space Day. I am sure that all of you must have celebrated this day. Once again you all must have celebrated the success of Chandrayaan-3. Last year on this day, Chandrayaan–3 successfully landed at Shiv-Shakti point on the Southern part of the Moon. India became the first country in the world to achieve this feat,” said PM Modi.

He said the youth of the country have benefited a lot from the space sector reforms.

During the broadcast, PM Modi interacted with a team from Spacetech Startup Galaxeye, which was started by the alumni of IIT Madras.

One of the young scientists who interacted with PM Modi, Suyash said, “We all met in IIT Madras. We were all studying there, in different years. At that time we thought about a project called ‘Hyperloop’ …During that time we started a team named ‘Avishkar Hyperloop’ and we went to America with that idea. At that time, we were the only team from Asia which went there and hoisted our country’s flag. And we were among the top 20 teams out of the around 1,500 teams from around the world. During that achievement, our friendship deepened and with this, we gained the confidence to do such difficult projects.”

“Additionally, your decision to open up the space sector and its privatisation, a landmark decision was taken in 2020, and we were quite excited about this,” said Suyash.

Rakshit, hailing from Uttrakhand’s Almora district, talked about the benefits of his startup technology, during which, PM Modi joked about ‘Bal Mithai’, a delicacy of Uttarakhand.

Rakshit said that this technology of ours can see through the clouds from space and it can even see during the night. “So we can take a clear picture of any corner of the country every day and the data that we procure will be used to develop two areas — first, to make India extremely secure by monitoring borders, oceans and seas, as well as enemy activities, daily and second, to empower the farmers of India.”

This was PM Modi’s 113th Mann Ki Baat episode.

In his last episode, PM Modi lauded the Paris Olympians who represented India on the global stage. “…the Olympics provide our athletes with the opportunity to hoist the Tricolour on the global stage and do something remarkable for the country. You too, encourage our athletes and Cheer for Bharat!”

PM Modi also appreciated the Mathematics Olympiad winners. India won four gold and one silver medal in Mathematics Olympiad. He also interacted with the winners.

He also spoke about the MANAS helpline for curbing the drug menace and emphasised the government’s proactive measures to combat this growing menace. PM Modi mentioned Assam’s Charaideo Maidam, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list recently, and urged people to plan their trips to the place.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

File picture of ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 Vikram Lander resting on the moon’s surface
| Photo Credit: ANI

India celebrate its first National Space Day on Friday (August 23, 2024) with the theme, “Touching lives while touching the Moon: India’s space saga”.

August 23 is celebrated as the National Space Day after India achieved a historic milestone when the Chandrayaan-3 mission completed a soft landing on the Moon on the day in 2023.

The landing made India the fourth country to accomplish the feat and the first to land on the lunar South Pole.

Various institutions around the country are celebrating the day with public events.

ALSO READ: Since Chandrayaan-3, what has India’s space programme been up to?

Taking to X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Ministers Hardeep Singh Puri, Nitin Gadkari, and Mansukh Mandaviya expressed joy over India’s space achievements.

Mr. Modi said his government has taken a series of futuristic decisions relating to this sector and will do even more in the times to come.

He said on X, “Greetings to everyone on the first National Space Day. We recall with great pride our nation’s achievements in the space sector. It is also a day to laud the contributions of our space scientists.”

“Our Government has taken a series of futuristic decisions relating to this sector and we will do even more in the times to come,” he added.

“Today, we celebrate ISRO’s incredible journey on National Space Day. From transporting rocket components on bullock carts to landing on the Moon’s South Pole, India’s space program has reached new heights. With Indian Oil’s Cryogenics playing a key role, our space saga continues under PM @narendramodi ji’s visionary leadership as we prepare for Gaganyaan in 2024,” Hardeep Singh Puri posted on X.

“On this #NationalSpaceDay, let’s celebrate ‘s cosmic strides, from #Chandrayaan-3’s lunar triumph to the awe-inspiring #Aditya-L1 #solar mission. We salute the brilliance of our scientists and the @isro crew who make India’s cosmic dreams a reality. With upcoming missions like #Gaganyaan, India is set to reach even greater heights. Here’s to our space pioneers and the boundless frontiers they continue to explore! wrote Nitin Gadkari on X.

“As the nation comes together to celebrate the #NationalSpaceDay, we fondly remember the historic achievement of our scientists. It marks a watershed moment in our quest for space exploration and we remain committed to the goal of ‘Touching Lives While Touching the Moon’,” said Mansukh Mandaviya.

The Moon we see today was once a hot and fiery ball of molten rock a big finding being confirmed by the science team of ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3.

The team has published the first scientific results from the instruments that flew to the Moon onboard the Pragyan Rover. The landmark paper has been published today in the prestigious British scientific journal. Nature, which publishes only significant scientific breakthroughs.

The lead author of the paper, Dr Santosh V. Vadawale, a scientist at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad who led the team of nearly three dozen scientists said “By analysing the lunar soil, our team confirms that the Moon was once a molten ball of rock some 4.4 billion years ago, soon after its birth.”

It is called the Lunar Magma Ocean (LMO) hypothesis. Experts have theorised that a Mars-size planetary body struck Earth some 4.5 billion years ago which led to the ejection of mass high into space which then coalesced to form the Moon. Mr Vadawale said, “The primordial Moon was all molten magma like one sees in the core of the Earth with a temperature of about 1500 degrees Celsius.”  

When India landed at the Shiv-Shakti point near the South Pole, it created global history since no other nation had landed in that region and it was then known that whatever Indian scientists find will be a novelty. Interestingly the elemental composition of the lunar soil is not drastically different from the soil one sees on Earth, Mr Vadawale said. Since there is no weathering on the moon the finding also provides a peek into the deep historical past of the Solar System.

Speaking to NDTV, Dr S Somanath Chairman of ISRO said “Chandrayaan-3 not only proved India’s technological and engineering prowess by soft landing but now this milestone scientific paper in the prestigious journal Nature shows India also did breakthrough scientific analysis by providing the first in-situ elemental composition analysis of lunar soil nearer the South Pole at Shiv-Shakti Point. India is the first country to have ever done this. An exciting finding that opens up possibilities of creating permanent habitation on the moon in the future.”

The six-wheeled 26-kilogram Pragyan moon rover travelled nearly 103 metres on the lunar surface in the course of its 10-day life. It travelled at a princely speed of one centimetre per second.

In a statement, the Nature journal said “An analysis of lunar soil in the Moon’s southern high-latitude regions, performed using data from India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission, suggests the presence of remnants of a former ocean of magma”.

Adding that previous research into the Moon’s geology has primarily relied on samples taken by missions to lunar mid-latitudes, such as the Apollo programme. However, in August 2023, India’s Vikram lander – part of the Chandrayaan-3 mission – successfully made a soft landing near the south pole of the Moon. The Pragyan rover then took 23 measurements at various spots along a 103-metre tract of the lunar surface using its onboard alpha particle X-ray spectrometer, which measured the elemental composition of the Moon’s regolith or the moon soil.

Santosh Vadawale and colleagues analysed Pragyan’s measurements and found a relatively uniform elemental composition in the lunar regolith surrounding the lander, which primarily contained the rock-type ferroan anorthosite. They note that the composition measurements of the lunar South Pole are intermediate between those of the samples from the Moon’s equatorial region taken by the Apollo 16 and Luna-20 missions. The authors suggest that the similar chemical composition of these geographically distant samples supports the Lunar Magma Ocean hypothesis.

In this hypothesis, as the Moon cooled during its formation, less dense ferroan anorthosite floated to the lunar surface while heavier minerals sank to form the mantle. Dr Vadawale and colleagues suggest that the magnesium minerals that were also detected by Pragyan, which cannot be explained by the Lunar Magma Ocean hypothesis, are likely deeper material excavated by the nearby South Pole-Aitken impact.

The authors conclude that the composition of Vikram’s landing site is consistent with the LMO hypothesis, which predicts that the lunar highlands were formed as a result of the floatation of lighter anorthositic rocks.

Since the Moon’s soil is not very different in elemental composition from the soil we see on Earth, the landmark finding by Chandrayaan-3 opens the tantalizing opportunity to use the same lunar regolith to do agriculture on the Moon as when it is permanently inhabited. It would be controlled growth of vegetation in chambers and water and organic matter will of course have to be added.

New Delhi:

In August last year, India became the first country to soft land a spacecraft near the South Pole of the Moon. A nail-biting 20 minutes of “terror” consumed most of the country as the Vikram lander module – carrying the Pragyan rover – descended to the lunar surface and touched down in one piece, releasing a flood of relief and joy at the Indian space agency’s mission control.

Six other missions had attempted a soft landing last year. None succeeded, including an effort by Russia’s Luna 25 that crashed 48 hours earlier. And to mark the first anniversary (on August 23) of India’s success, the nation will celebrate National Space Day. A few months earlier, in April, a mission by the United Arab Emirates Lunar carrying a Japan-made lander crashed.

“It was such a beautiful day for India… I had no doubt in my mind – that we will hit the bullseye. I was at ease and the joy of my teammates was lovely…” Dr S Somanath, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation, told NDTV, reliving the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

In succeeding where others, including those with vastly better-funded space programmes, had failed, India also had to recover from the heart-break of Chandryaan-2 in 2019, which encountered a terminal problem in the ‘fine braking’ phase of the landing sequence.

And, for their Chandrayaan-3 success, the scientists and engineers were given the first Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar prize.

In fact, India’s third lunar outing went well beyond planned deliverables; the young Chandrayaan-3 team executed an unplanned “hop experiment” and then, in another tricky move, even brought the propulsion module back into the Earth’s orbit.

“Chandryaan-3’s success was a satisfying moment as the unfinished was finished… and at the cost of a single lunar mission, ISRO achieved part of the goals of a subsequent mission… money saved is wealth for the country,” K Kalpana, Associate Project Director for Chandrayaan-3, said.

Dr Somanath concurred, pointing out India had spent nearly Rs 700 crore on Chandrayaan-3 and that it had proven to be money well spent.

ISRO insiders have said the reason for the failure of Chandrayaan-2 was that it was a “rush job” and involved an “under-tested” robot sent to the Moon to meet political ends. In attempting this, technological challenges and hurdles were waved away, they declared.

Crucial design changes were made for Chandrayaan-3. These included the design of a control software to execute a landing even if things go wrong.

The site near the lunar South Pole reached by Chandrayaan-3 could now play host to multiple Moon missions for ISRO, which wants to explore what is scientifically unchartered terrain.

This site, called Shiv-Shakti Point, is of immense global interest as it offers possible access to frozen water. Even the United States is targeting the region through its Artemis program, which includes plans for permanent habitation.

The US’ earlier Apollo landings took place in the easier-to-access equatorial region.

Since India’s success there have been other efforts.

The first private effort to soft land was attempted by Intuitive Machines; a probe named Odysseus attempted this on February 22. It did land but broke one leg while doing so.

Japan’s Smart Lander for Investigating the Moon, or SLIM, made an attempt a month earlier and failed. It had a hard landing and some of its instruments were damaged.

Also in January another private American space company called Astrobotic Technology sent its Peregrine moon lander but that never even left Earth orbit as the rocket carrying it developed a propellant leak.

In June this year China did land on the Moon but on the far side. The Chinese Change-6 probe also managed to bring back samples. No doubt a remarkable success.

India will now also attempt a sample return mission – from Shiv-Shakti Point – in a few years’ time, Dr Somanath said. This will be followed by India and Japan attempting to land a rover larger than Pragyaan through a joint mission, the details of which are still being fine-tuned.

The sample return mission has been dubbed Chandryaan-4 and will also serve as a precursor to a more ambitious challenge – to land an Indian on the moon by 2040, Dr Somanath explained.

India opened the global space community’s gate to the Moon with Chandrayaan-1 and now landing an Indian on the Moon will be the next tremendous achievement for a space programme renowned for frugality and reliability. ‘Chanda mama’ is no longer far away!

New Delhi:

Russian Deputy Chief of Mission Roman Babushkin hailed India’s remarkable achievements in space exploration and underscored Russia’s unwavering support for its space endeavours.

On the 40th Anniversary of the spaceflight of the first Indian cosmonaut, Rakesh Sharma, aboard the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz T-11 in 1984, Babushkin emphasised the enduring partnership between Russia and India in the space sector.

Babushkin’s remarks also highlight the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission and the collaborative efforts in the Gaganyan project.

“Russia has always been favouring Indian success,” Babushkin told ANI, emphasising the historic collaboration symbolised by figures like Rakesh Sharma.

Notably, he commemorated the achievement of Rakesh Sharma, who etched his name in history as India’s first astronaut.

He lauded India’s independent space research programme, which not only benefits the nation but also extends assistance to other countries in satellite launches.

Speaking ahead of the 77th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Babushkin highlighted Russia’s unwavering support for India’s space endeavours, emphasising India’s significant milestones in the field.

From Chandrayaan-3’s recent triumph to the ambitious Gaganyan mission, Russia has played a pivotal role in nurturing India’s space capabilities, including training astronauts and aiding in spacecraft development.

“The space domain stands as a testament to our special and privileged strategic partnership,” he also said, addressing the gathering at the Russian embassy here on the occasion.

“Russia, as a pioneer in space exploration, has always favoured Indian success. Our engagements date back to 1975, when the Soviet Union helped launch Aryabhata, India’s first satellite. The second satellite, Bhaskara, was launched by the Soviet Union in 1979,” he added.

Mentioning India’s Chandrayaan Mission, he went on to say, “Now India, having developed its robust national space programme, by right enjoys the status of a space super-power, well-reputed, reliable and preferred global partner for space science and satellite launching. The successful Chandrayaan-3 project is a huge landmark.”

Speaking further on the India-Russia space collaboration, Babushkin underlined the ISRO and Roscosmos cooperation.

“Russia remains one of India’s leading partners. The Russian State Corporation ‘Roscosmos’ and ISRO are deeply involved in the implementation of the Indian Gaganyan mission by training astronauts, providing assistance in the development of manned spacecraft, supplying life-support and crew-escape systems, flight suits, couches, rate sensors, cooperating on thermal protection coatings, applied materials and space medicine capacity building,” the diplomat said.

“Our vibrant partnership includes space propulsion engineering, cryogen engine construction, satellite navigation, and establishing ground stations for receiving communication signals. We are exploring new tracks emanating from the prospects of wider involvement of the private sector and start-ups,” he added.

Babushkin further highlighted how India and Russia ‘closely coordinate’ at the dedicated multilateral platforms, first of all the UN and its Outer Space Committee. He also went on to underline how the month of April holds a reason to celebrate.

“We maintain in-depth dialogue to prevent arms races in outer space and promote the Russian initiative of non-placement of weapons in outer space. This is also part of our agenda in BRICS, including the agreement on the remote satellite constellation’, he said.

“We have many reasons to celebrate this month, including the 63rd anniversary of the first human space journey by the legend Yury Gagarin on April 12 as well as the 77th anniversary of the establishment of Russia-India diplomatic relations on April 13. More and the Russian presidency in the expanded BRICS. However, the theme of space and the historic importance of the great deed by Rakesh Sharma epitomising the spirit of our friendship deserves to be an undoubted background for our overall cooperation in 2024,” he added.

On Wednesday, the Russian Embassy and TASS News Agency jointly arranged a dedicated photo exhibition that included a unique archive of photographic materials, along with the screening of the documentary “How I Became a Cosmonaut.”

Rakesh Sharma went on to become the first Indian citizen to reach outer space when he flew aboard the Soviet rocket Soyuz T-11 launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome.

He spent 7 days, 21 hours and 40 minutes in space and took India to become the 14th nation to travel to outer space. Sharma’s work was mainly in the fields of biomedicine and remote sensing.

Sharma conducted several scientific studies and experiments, including remote sensing and biomedicine. The crew even held a conference with officials from space. When the then PM of India, Indira Gandhi, asked Sharma how India looked from outer space, Sharma said, “Saare Jahaan Se Achcha.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

An image of Chandrayaan-3 Vikram Lander, clicked through a Pragyan rover’s navigation camera, and released by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
| Photo Credit: ANI

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) working group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved the name Statio Shiv Shakti for the landing site of Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander. The approval was given on March 19, 2024.

“Compound word from Indian mythology that depicts the masculine (“Shiva”) and feminine (“Shakti”) duality of nature; Landing site of Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander,” states the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature on the origin of the Statio Shiv Shakti name.

According to the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, planetary nomenclature, like terrestrial nomenclature, is used to uniquely identify a feature on the surface of a planet or satellite so that the feature can be easily located, described, and discussed.

“This gazetteer contains detailed information about all names of topographic and albedo features on planets and satellites (and some planetary ring and ring-gap systems) that the IAU has named and approved from its founding in 1919 through the present time,” it states.

The IAU is the internationally recognised authority for assigning nomenclature to planetary surface features.

Name announced by PM Modi

The Astrogeology Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey maintains the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature on behalf of the IAU with funding from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

On August 26, 2023 Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the point where the Moon lander of Chandrayaan-3 touched down will now be known as Shiv Shakti.

“The point where the moon lander of Chandrayaan-3 landed will now be known as Shiv Shakti. In Shiv, there is resolution for the welfare of humanity and Shakti gives us strength to fulfil those resolutions. This Shiv Shakti point of the moon also gives a sense of connection with Himalaya to Kanyakumari,” Mr. Modi while announcing the name.