The nation waited with bated breath as the ISRO Scientists manoeuvred the Vikram Lander to position to prepare it for the soft landing on the lunar South Pole. The moment the lander touched down on the lunar surface, the entire nation broke into an ecstatic euphoria.
The success of Chandrayaan-3 was a mass bonding moment for Indians everywhere. These joyous scenes are only witnessed during milestone moments in the nation’s history. When Kapil Dev’s men won the Cricket World Cup in 1983 such scenes were witnessed and there was joy and revelry all round.
When the Chandrayaan-3 lander touched down after a breathtakingly long and arduous 3.84 lakh kilometre journey, on the far side of the moon it created history. India became the first nation to land on the lunar South Pole. Only three other nations—the US, China and the Soviet Union have performed this feat of reaching the moon and touching down. The landing on the moon’s south pole is indeed a unique accomplishment. What makes it even more astounding is that it requires complex manoeuvres and the soft landing was picture perfect. One of the challenges facing space agencies is the moon’s south pole has a very rough & difficult terrain, with deep trenches and a plethora of craters.
The difficulty of attempting to land on the moon’s south pole was made clear over the weekend with the Russian craft crashing in its bid to make a soft landing. It was an opportunity for India to attempt it and raise the bar. After the Apollo missions there has been a long hiatus and now there seems to be a renewed interest to further the body of knowledge. It is believed that the shadowed craters of the moon contain water ice that could support a future base on the moon facilitating astronauts and scientists to work there for extended periods. But prior to this mission, no country has ventured to undertake this difficult task. If the conjecture is proved correct and corroborated and water ice is indeed there, it could be used for drinking water, fuel and oxygen. It will also provide valuable insights into the workings of lunar volcanoes. Why, it could even throw light on the origins of our own oceans.
The Vikram lander, along with the pragyan (meaning wisdom) rover, started its descent towards the lunar surface undergoing a series of manoeuvres such as de-boosting, reverse thrusting, as well as various stages of landing, all carried out by the Artificial Intelligence powered ALS (Automatic Landing Sequence). The entire landing process was carried out in four stages- Rough Breaking Phase, Altitude Hold Phase, Fine breaking phase and Local Navigation phase. There was no human intervention during this period and everything was handled by the AI powered ALS.
There was a lot of learning for ISRO and ironical as it may sound, the failure of the previous Chandrayaan 2 mission contributed to the unalloyed success of Chandrayaan 3.
It had the blessings of the Gods. Particularly, the blessings of the moon god. ISRO is being headed by its dynamic current Chairman Sridhara Panickker Somnath. Somnath is literally the Lord of the Moon in Sanskrit. What a happy coincidence! As soon as the soft landing happened Somnath conveyed to PM Modi, who is away in South Africa to attend the BRICS Summit and said “Sir, the Lander has landed and India is on the Moon!” The PM beaming with pride was over the moon and was seen waving the Indian Flag. It is a victory for India and a victory for humanity, he thundered. All in All, It was a defining moment for a nation whose anthem is jai jawan, jai kisan and jai vigyan (victory to the soldier, the farmer and the scientist).
The Indian Space Research Organisation’s success is the culmination of the efforts of its pioneering and talented space scientists. A large majority of them are talented and committed women, which is a matter of great pride for the nation.
What does this success auger for India? It will mark its emergence as a space power. It is a shot in the arm for the Indian Space Scientists and will embolden them to unveil ambitious plans in the future. Already a manned space flight Gaganyaan is planned. It may also attempt to put a man on the moon. It has already sent its craft to Mars. More plans are on the anvil and India’s tryst with space will continue.
ISRO may take a cue from Capt. Kirk of Star Trek fame. It will dare to go where no man has gone before!
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