Bengaluru, NFAPost: Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a memorable trip from Athens, Greece, to Bengaluru on Saturday to engage with ISRO scientists to celebrate the triumphant Chandrayaan-3 mission. During the interaction, he unveiled significant decisions, including the naming of the lunar touchdown site of the ‘Vikram’ lander as the “Shiva Shakti Point.”
Labelling the achievement of the Chandrayaan-3 mission as an “extraordinary moment” in India’s space exploration history, the Prime Minister also declared that the location where the Chandrayaan-2 lander crash-landed on the lunar surface in 2019 would be recognized as the “Tiranga Point.”
August 23, the day when the Chandrayaan-3 lander successfully reached the lunar surface, will now be celebrated as “National Space Day.” Emotions ran high as Prime Minister Modi addressed the dedicated team at ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), lavishing praise on their unwavering dedication and passion.
ISRO Chairman S Somanath provided a comprehensive briefing on the Chandrayaan-3 mission during the Prime Minister’s visit.
A significant crowd, many proudly displaying national flags, gathered outside the HAL Airport and Jalahalli Cross close to ISTRAC to extend their warm greetings to the Prime Minister.
It’s worth noting that on Wednesday evening when the Lander Module of the Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully touched down on the lunar surface, Prime Minister Modi virtually joined the ISRO team at the Mission Operations Complex (MOX) at ISTRAC. This event took place while he was in Johannesburg, attending the 15th BRICS summit.
Recalling history, Prime Minister Modi also shared his visit to Bengaluru on the night of September 6, 2019, when he witnessed the anticipated touchdown of the Chandrayaan-2 mission’s ‘Vikram’ lander. However, in the early hours of September 7, just moments before its scheduled landing, ISRO lost contact with the craft, a mere 2.1 kilometres above the lunar surface.
