The idea was first raised in 1999 during a meeting of Indian Academy of Sciences. In 2000, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) set up the National Lunar Mission Task Force (NLMTF) . In April, 2003 the recommendation of the NLMTF to launch an Indian probe to the Moon was discussed and approved by a large group of famous Indian scientists in the fields of Planetary and Space Sciences, Earth Sciences, Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Engineering and Communication Sciences. In November, 2003 the Government of India gave approval of the mission. India researched and developed indigenous technology to explore the Moon. Finally came the day 22 October, 2008, the red-letter day in the history of Indian Sciences when Chandrayaan - 1, the first Indian lunar probe was launched by ISRO. The vehicle was inserted into lunar orbit on 8 November 2008. On 14 November 2008, the Moon Impact Probe (MIP) separated from the Chandrayaan orbiter at 14:36 UTC and struck the south pole in a controlled manner. The probe hit near the crater Shackleton at 15:01 UTC. Chandrayaan-1 operated for 312 days as opposed to the intended two years, however the mission achieved most of its scientific objectives including detecting the presence of Lunar water, the most notable discovery of the presence of water molecules on lunar soil. The credit for this discovery goes to India. The Chandrayaan-1 also enabled scientists to study the interaction between the solar wind and a planetary body like the Moon without a magnetic field, probably the second notable achievement, India can boast of.
The perseverance and endeavors of Indian scientists to explore moon and to conduct experiments on the materials available on the lunar surface to better understand the composition of the Moon never stopped. Chandrayaan-2, the second lunar exploration mission by India, was a step forward to the steady aim of the Indian scientists. That's why Chandrayaan - 3, the third lunar exploration mission by India was proposed. Chandrayaan - 3 saw the light of the day on 14 July, 2023 when it was launched. And finally came today, 23 August, 2023, when the lander and the rover successfully soft-landed (feather-landed) near the lunar south pole region. Indian scientists have the full faith that Chandrayaan - 3 will successfully fulfil all the objectives. The endeavors will continue and Indian science must progress with the flow of time. The honesty, diligence and hard work of our scientific community over the years should be duly acknowledged by all. Let us all inspire the young dreamers.
Suman Sinha
August 23, 2023
Picture courtesy : Wikipedia
