ISRO has etched its name in the annals of space exploration with Chandrayaan-3 success- Vice-President

Commending the achievements of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as “nothing short of extraordinary”, the Vice-President & Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar emphasised that the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission has etched the name of India’s space agency in the annals of space exploration.

Addressing the Rajya Sabha today at the commencement of a discussion on “India’s glorious space journey marked by successful soft landing of Chandrayaan-3”, the Vice-President drew attention to the fact that the success of Chandrayaan-3 has established India as the first country to achieve a soft landing on the moon’s South Pole. With this achievement, India has become a member of the Artemis Accords, the U.S.-led multilateral initiative to place humans on the moon by 2025, he elaborated.

Tracing the Indian space journey of more than six decades, the Vice-President underscored that India’s space program has witnessed the transition from dependence on foreign launch vehicles to achieving complete self-reliance with indigenous launch capabilities. India has not only developed the capacity to launch its own satellites but has also extended its services to launch satellites for other countries, with 424 foreign satellites being launched till date, he added.

Applauding India’s achievements beyond the lunar surface, Shri Dhankhar reminded the House that India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) had successfully reached the Red Planet on its maiden attempt in 2014. Highlighting the recently launched Aditya-L1 mission and the upcoming Shukrayaan-1 mission to study Venus, the Vice-President said that the focus on planetary exploration and deep space missions was a natural extension of ISRO’s efforts to use space endeavours for addressing the country’s developmental needs.

Recognising ISRO’s strength of being able to achieve these feats at a “fraction of the cost when compared to major space agencies like NASA and ESA”, the Chairman emphasised that this cost-effectiveness is a result of its emphasis on indigenization and reducing reliance on imports. Referring to the Indian Space Policy of 2023 as a “giant leap” towards a more innovative and economically robust future in space exploration, the Vice-President said that the entry of private enterprises into the realm of space exploration would be of great significance for India’s space ambitions.

Underlining that India’s achievements in the space sector have “catapulted the nation onto the global centre-stage”, the Vice-President lauded India’s space exploration journey as a matter of “national pride”. “From Chandrayaan missions to the Moon, Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) and Aditya-Ll’s solar exploration, India has shown that the sky is not the limit; it’s just the beginning,” he stressed.