'India set to script history today': Jyotiraditya Scindia ahead of Chandrayaan-3 lunar landing

With hours to go for the attempted touchdown of the Chandrayaan-3 lander on the uncharted south pole of the moon, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday said history will be created today when under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi India’s flag will be hoisted on the moon.

#WATCH | On Chandrayaan-3 mission, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia says, "History will be created today when under the leadership of PM Modi India's flag will be hoisted on the moon. The entire country is eagerly waiting for this moment. The efforts of the scientists & the… pic.twitter.com/IDKA5wiy5H

— ANI (@ANI) August 23, 2023

“The entire country is eagerly waiting for this moment. The efforts of the scientists and the government for the last nine years will be fulfilled today. We are moving towards success. With this India has been scaling new heights,” said the Union Minister. According to an official release from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the Chandrayaan-3 lander is scheduled to touch down on the moon’s south face at around 18:04 hours IST. Earlier, wishing success to India’s third lunar mission, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “The whole country is proud of our space programme. My heart is filled with joy and happiness. I want to thank all the scientists from the bottom of my heart as it is because of their excellence and hard work that we are on the cusp of history today." “I salute the determination of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, under whose leadership the country is breaking new grounds across spheres. Today is a day for every Indian to take pride in, to immerse in unbridled joy," the CM added. Meanwhile, special worship and prayers were performed across the state for the successful lunar landing. A special ‘Bhasma Aarti’ was performed at Mahakaleshwar temple in the Ujjain district on Wednesday morning. Special worship and ‘Rudrabhishek’ were performed at Maa Vaishno Dham Adarsh Nava Durga Temple in the state capital, Bhopal. A large number of devotees arrived at Bageshwar Dham in Chhatarpur district to offer special prayers for the success of India’s third lunar mission. A ‘havan’ was also performed at Khajrana Ganesh Temple in Indore district. The live telecast of the landing operation will begin at 5:20 PM IST on Wednesday. Live broadcast of the landing will be available on the ISRO website, its YouTube channel, Facebook, and public broadcaster DD National TV from 5:27 PM IST today. With inputs from agencies