Spot of the Vikram lander on the lunar surface will be known as the ‘Shiv Shakti’ Point
Team News Riveting
Bengaluru, Karnataka:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced that August 23 will be celebrated as National Space Day to mark the landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon.
He also declared that the touchdown spot of the Vikram lander on the lunar surface would from now onwards be known as the ‘Shiv Shakti’ Point while the Chandrayaan-2 Lunar landing point will be called the ‘Tiranga’ Point. “This will be an inspiration for every effort made by India. it will remind us any failure is not final…,” the Prime Minister said.
Modi, who flew down to Bengaluru this morning directly from the Greek capital of Athens after summit talks, made the announcement while congratulating and interacting with scientists of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) after the successful touchdown of the Vikram lander on the unexplored lunar south pole on August 23.
“In Shiv, there is resolution for the welfare of humanity and Shakti gives us strength to fulfil those resolutions. This Shiv Shakti point of the moon also gives a sense of connection with Himalayas to Kanyakumari”, the prime minister said while addressing Team ISRO at the space agency’s Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC).
The Prime Minister separately interacted with the women scientists of ISRO. “At @isro, I had the opportunity to meet the women scientists associated with Chandrayaan-3. I bow to our Nari Shakti and applaud their contribution to Indian science,” Modi said in X (twitter).
“…I can see before my eyes every second of that day of August 23…” Modi said recalling the final 15 challenging minutes of the Chandrayaan-3. “I salute your dedication. I salute your patience. I salute your hard work. I salute your inspiration,” the Prime Minister said as he turned emotional.
The Prime Minister was accorded a warm reception as he arrived at the ISRO headquarters this morning. He met the team of scientists involved in the country’s third lunar mission — Chandrayaan-3 and hugged ISRO chief Somanath.
