‘India will celebrate August 23 as National Space Day to mark Chandrayaan-3 success’: PM Modi tells ISRO scientists

Congratulating ISRO on the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that people from across the globe who believe in science and the future are filled with enthusiasm over India’s historic feat on the Moon’s South Pole. The Prime Minister who flew down to Bengaluru directly from Greece, said he could not stop himself from reaching the city first on his return to pay tribute to the ISRO scientists. Before heading for the ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), PM Modi addressed a gathering outside the HAL Airport. “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan, Jai Anusandhan,” the PM said. “Not only Indians but people across the globe who believe in science are filled with enthusiasm. I decided that on my return to India, I will go to Bengaluru and pay tribute to the scientists behind Chandrayaan-3’s success.” The Prime Minister thanked the citizens of Bengaluru who gathered in huge numbers to see him. “I see people including children getting up so early. These children are the future of India, the PM added. He said the place where Chandrayaan-2 left its footprint on the Lunar surface in 2019 will be henceforth known as ‘Tiranga Point’. PM Modi told scientists at ISRO that India will celebrate August 23 as ‘National Space Day’ from now on to mark the successful touchdown of Chandrayaan-3 mission’s lander on the lunar surface. “You have awakened an entire generation and left a deep imprint on them,” PM Modi told the scientists at ISRO while encouraging them to delve deeper into space science and gather more laurels for the country. “Our scientists built an artificial Moon at the ISRO research facility to test the soft landing of the lander. The lander was bound to succeed as it passed several tests before going there (to the Moon),” the Prime Minister said in his addresses to the scientists in Bengaluru, who were responsible for the successful lunar touchdown. He also pointed out that the ISRO scientists had literally taken ‘Make in India’ to the Moon – the Earth’s only natural satellite. India on Wednesday scripted history as ISRO’s ambitious third Moon mission Chandrayaan-3’s Lander Module (LM) ‘Vikram’ touched down on the lunar surface, making it only the fourth country to accomplish the feat and enter an elite space club, and the first nation to reach the unexplored South Pole of Earth’s only natural satellite.