Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched its third exploratory lunar mission Chandrayaan 3 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh on 14 July 2023. To mark the occasion, Birla Industrial and Technology Museum, Kolkata, organised a live screening of the event. Students of Mahadevi Birla Sishu Vihar were present for the event.
The event started at half past one in the afternoon with a presentation on ISRO’s Chandrayaan Missions by Dr Rakesh Mazumder, Curator, BITM, followed by a workshop on the Earth, Sun and Moon conducted by Technical Officer Tarun Das, Education Section, BITM.
Chandrayaan 3 has two mission objectives: soft landing of the lander Vikram, and reaching the south pole of the moon. Speaking to Edugraph, Mr Das stated, “This is a moment of great pride for us as Indians. If our mission is successful, we will be the fourth nation in the world to successfully land on the Moon and the first to reach its southern pole… just a little over a month’s wait.”
The lander is supposed to touch the surface of the moon around 23 August 2023. This is where the Chandrayaan 2 mission fell apart as it failed to achieve a soft landing on 6 September 2019.