We started on bicycle and now we are reaching the moon
Image Credits: ISRO
The story of India’s experience in rocketry began more than 200 years back when Tipu Sultan used Mysorean rockets in his military during1780's and 1790's to fight against the British for Independence. And now in 2023 India became the 4th country ever to soft land on the lunar surface after Russia, US and China through its special lunar mission Chandrayaan-3. India can also proudly take the credit for Chandrayaan-3 being the world’s first mission to soft land near the lunar south pole whereas all previous spacecraft have landed a few degrees latitude north or south of the lunar equator.
Let us have a brief look at India’s incredible journey of reaching the moon that started on a bullock cart and bicycle back in early 1960s.
Image Source: Unknown
In 1962, the DAE director Dr. Homi J Bhabha – Father of India’s atomic programme, established the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) with Dr. Vikram Sarabhai as the chairman.
The dream journey of India’s space program began during early 1960s when US Nike Apache sounding rocket was launched from Thumba near Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India on 21st November 1963 under the leadership of Dr. Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai – The Father of Indian Space Program.
15th August 1969 – The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) was created from INCOSPAR and under the Department of Space from June 1972.
The ‘Missile Man’ and former President of India Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam first met Dr. Vikram Sarabhai at an interview for the position of rocket engineer at INCOSPAR in Bangalore where Dr. Kalam described him as ‘A heroic figure’.
19th April 1975 - India’s first satellite – ‘The Aryabhata’ was launched from Kapustin Yar using a Soviet Kosmos-3M launch vehicle with a vision to directly benefit people instead of manned space programs or robotic space explorations.
Image Credits: ISRO & IISc, Bangalore
After the launch failure of SLV in 1979, India rectified the problem and in the very following year – 1980 she launched her first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-3) named Rohini-I from the Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC) under the leadership of the project director Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
Image Credits: History TV
Another outstanding contribution of ISRO to the space program was the development of ‘Vikas Engine’ (acronym for Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai) by one of the gems of ISRO Dr. Nambi Narayanan. It was a liquid-fueled rocket engine designed by the Liquid propulsion Systems center of ISRO.
Image Credits: The Hindu
In 2001, the first development flight of the most powerful Indian launch vehicle – GSLV took place adding yet another medal to ISRO’s coat of arms. On April 28th, 2008, ISRO successfully launched 10 satellites in a single mission to space (including 690 kg CARTOSTAT-2 and 83 kg mini-Indian satellite IMS-1.
Image Credits: PMO, India
5th November 2013 – India launched her first interplanetary mission The Mangalyaan (a space probe orbiting Mars since 24th September 2014) to the orbit of Mars which made it the fourth space agency to achieve this after Roscosmos, NASA and the European Space agency. India became the first nation in the world to reach the Martian orbit in her maiden attempt.
Image Credits: Kevin M Gill, NASA
And today here we stand, after 2 unsuccessful attempts of Chandrayaan-1 (2008) and Chandrayaan-2 (2014), on 14th July 2023, India launches her historic Chandrayaan-3 mission from Sriharikota to land spacecraft on the moon under the leadership of Dr. Ritu Karidhal (also known as the Rocket woman of India).
Image Credits: ISRO
Through innumerable struggles and fight back since pre-independence India has emerged victorious and completed a long journey of proudly taking the credit today for being one of the most powerful Nuclear Power in the world and being the world’s 4th largest Economy. The world was really looking forward on 23rd August 2023 to witness the historic landing of the Chandaryaan-3 on the moon’s surface.
Image Credits: Guardian graphic & ISRO
And finally, Chandrayaan-3’s mission which is an epitome of India’s relentless pursuit knowledge and advancement touched the lunar surface with the grace of a poet penning a verse. At 6:02 pm (local time) on 23rd August 2023, after a nail-biting wait, ISRO confirmed that Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander had successfully touched down in the Moon’s little-explored lunar southern polar region as planned. India is the first country to reach near the south pole of the moon and conduct explorations. It gave goosebumps when ISRO chairman S. Somanath announced, "We have achieved soft landing on the moon". The Control room was filled with tears of happiness and then he said, 'India is on the Moon' addressing to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji.
The monumental achievement in history has instilled a profound sense of national pride within the heart of more than 1.4 billion people of the strong country. This endeavor signifies India's resolute strides towards becoming a trailblazer in space exploration, solidifying its position as a significant global force.
Image Credits: ISRO
This accomplishment places India in an exclusive league of ELITE SPACE CLUB with the nations that have accomplished a soft lunar landing.
Vikram lander's compartment contains the 26kg rover, named Pragyaan (which translates to "wisdom" in Sanskrit), reached the lunar surface. The rover's next endeavor involves traversing the lunar terrain, exploring craters and rocks, amassing vital data and imagery to be relayed back to Earth for comprehensive analysis. Pragyaan's key missions encompasses identifying lunar surface minerals and studying the chemical composition of the soil.
As per the disclosure by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Pragyaan is set to advance at a consistent rate of 1cm per second. Along its expedition, the rover's six wheels will imprint ISRO's Logo and emblem onto the lunar terrain, crafting a symbolic mark with each movement.
The strategic selection of August 23, 2023, for the Chandrayaan-3's landing was not a matter of chance. The ISRO scientists deliberately opted for this date due to its alignment with the commencement of a lunar day. In this context, a lunar day corresponds to a period of four weeks on Earth. This synchronization allows the lander and rover a generous window of 14 days to recharge their batteries.
The lander is equipped with a variety of scientific instruments designed to uncover activities transpiring on, above, and beneath the lunar surface. Within the scientific community, the Moon is believed to possess significant mineral resources. However, a primary objective of Chandrayaan-3 is to actively search for water. Notably, scientists speculate that the substantial craters in the southern polar region, perpetually veiled in shadow, might contain ice resources. These frozen reservoirs could potentially play a pivotal role in supporting future human habitation on the Moon.
Image Credits: ISO
And amidst the vastness, of the cosmos, this beacon of human ingenuity and determination found its spot on the silvery plains of our age-old companion, the moon. Each grain of the lunar dust the rover touched today, whispered the tales of aeons gone by, waiting for us to decipher. In that sublime moment, the divide of nations and boundaries blurred, replaced by a collective pride, in what can be achieved when we look beyond ourselves.
“Some countries have moon in their flag, India has her flag in the moon”.
Article Written by:
Anupam Das & Dhairya Rajguru