ISRO to Commemorate Chandrayaan-3’s Moon Landing

By R Anil Kumar

• National Space Day is a day of the year set aside in India to commemorate Chandrayaan-3’s successful landing on the Moon. It is celebrated on August 23, every year.

• India made a historic achievement on August 23, 2023 when ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed on the south pole of the moon.

• PM Narendra Modi declared August 23 as National Space Day

• ISRO invites citizens to join celebrations

Bengaluru, July 22. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up to celebrate the country’s first “National Space Day” on August 23 to commemorate the successof the Chandrayaan-3 mission when the Vikram lander made a touchdown on the darker side of the Moon.

India had successfully landed its Chandrayaan-3 Vikram lander on the lunar south polar region on August 23, 2023. To commemorate this feat, every year August 23^rd has been declared as “National Space Day” by the Government of India.

On the 1^st National Space Day i.e., August 23, 2024, the Department of Space will be conducting extensive celebrations across the country. To commemorate the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3, the theme selected for National Space Day this year is “Touching Lives while Touching the Moon: India’s Space Saga”.

ISRO’s commitment to Space science is inseparable from its commitment to society and for encouraging public participation in this mega event.

Following the Vikram landing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that “National Space Day” will be celebrated on August 23 every year.

India made a historic achievement on August 23, 2023 when ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed on the south pole of the moon.

This accomplishment marked India as the first country to achieve a landing in this region, overcoming the disappointment of the Chandrayaan-2 crash landing four years earlier.

On this occassion, ISRO chairman Dr S Somanath, has invited all citizens of the country to participate in activities organised by the space organisation and join the nationwide celebration.

“The historic landing of #Chandrayaan3 on the Moon is celebrated as National Space Day every year on August 23. Dr. S. Somanath, Chairman, ISRO, invites all citizens to participate in these activities and join the nationwide celebrations,” ISRO said in a post on X.

Additionally, ISRO will also be organising the Bharatiya Antariksh Hackathon on August 23.

S Somanath said 12 problem statements in the areas of geospatial domain, space science, image processing, and AI/ML areas are identified for the hackathon and declared it open for undergraduate/ postgraduate/PhD students across the country.

A team of three to four students can participate and address the challenges with innovative solutions.

Initially, 100 teams will be chosen based on their ideation and problem-solving approaches. Subsequently, an expert committee will shortlist 30 teams for the Grand Finale, which will be held for 30 hours at NRSC, Hyderabad on August 13 and 14.

The ISRO chief pointed out that the hackathon is designed to foster innovation and create application-driven ecosystems in space-based applications, aiming to benefit both society and the nation.

Additionally, several pan-India outreach activities and public engagements are being planned as part of the maiden National Space Day celebration.