Bengaluru - The Prime Minister conveyed his eagerness to meet and honor the scientists, commending their unwavering dedication. While attending the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, he watched the live transmission of the momentous moon landing of the Vikram lander.
A momentous accomplishment unfolded as India achieved a significant milestone with the successful touchdown of the Chandrayaan-3 lander module on the moon's South Pole. This achievement marked the end of the disappointment stemming from the Chandrayaan-2 crash landing four years earlier. Joining the ranks of the US, China, and Russia, India became the fourth nation to accomplish a successful moon landing. The spacecraft commenced its voyage from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, on July 14.
Extending his congratulations to the ISRO team for the triumphant Chandrayaan-3 moon landing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted his visit to the ISRO Telemetry Tracking & Command Network Mission Control Complex on the same morning. S Somanath, the head of the Indian Space Agency, briefed the Prime Minister about the Chandrayaan-3 progress at the ISRO complex in Bengaluru. Upon arriving in Bengaluru, the Prime Minister engaged with the gathered crowd outside HAL airport and shared, "Despite being abroad, I couldn't resist visiting Bengaluru first and meeting our scientists right after returning to India."
Addressing the assembly at the ISRO Telemetry Tracking & Command Network Mission Control Complex in Bengaluru, PM Modi conveyed his unique sense of happiness, underlining the rarity of such occasions. He admitted to feeling restless during his time in South Africa, as his thoughts remained fixated on the ISRO team.
In celebration of the Chandrayaan-3 achievement, PM Modi announced that India would observe August 23 as 'National Space Day'. During his interaction with the ISRO scientists in Bengaluru, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attributed to them the credit for inspiring an entire generation and making a profound impact on young minds.