'Chandrayaan-3 is new chapter in India's space odyssey; soars high, elevates dreams, ambitions of Indians': PM Modi

“Chandrayaan-3 scripts a new chapter in India’s space odyssey,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi moments after the spacecraft was successfully lifted off by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh on Friday. Congratulating ISRO’s team after Chandrayaan-3’s successful separation from Launch vehicle Mark-III (LVM-3), PM Modi said: “It soars high, elevating the dreams and ambitions of a every Indian. This momentous achievement is a testament to our scientists’ relentless dedication. I salute their spirit and ingenuity!”

Moment of glory The video of Chandrayaan-3 lift-off was shared by Union Minister of State Science and Technology Jitendra Singh on Twitter. “Moment of glory for India! And moment of destiny for all of us here at Sriharikota who are part of the history in making,” the Union Minister said. Singh also thanked PM Modi “for making this possible by unlocking and enabling India’s Space sector”.

Chandrayaan-3 is India’s second attempt to land on the surface of the Moon and the third Lunar mission of the country. It is developed at an estimated cost of Rs 615 crore. As per ISRO, Chandrayaan-3 has three major objectives: 1- Demonstrate safe and soft landing on the surface of the moon 2- Demonstrate rover operation on the moon 3- Conduct in-situ scientific experiments on the lunar surface. Hopes are high from Chandrayaan-3 as its soft-landing on the moon’s surface will make India join the list of three other countries that have succeeded in the mission - the US, Russia and China. On Friday, the LVM-3 proved its capability again as it successfully accomplished the mission by injecting Chandrayaan-3 in a precise orbit. All three stages performed nominally and the spacecraft separated from LVM-3, over 900 seconds post-launch from Sriharikota. The spacecraft is scheduled to arrive in lunar orbit on August 5 and the soft-landing attempt is expected around 23-24 August. In its maiden lunar mission, Chandrayaan-1, India in 2008 discovered water molecules on the surface of the moon. The spacecraft had orbited the celestial body and was then crash-landed onto the lunar surface. Eleven years later, in 2019 India made a second attempt at a soft landing and the spacecraft - Chandrayaan-2 - successfully entered lunar orbit but its rover crash-landed on the moon’s surface. It was also supposed to explore the moon’s South Pole. With inputs from agencies