“In a historic moment for India, on August 23 at 6:04 PM IST, ISRO lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 landed successfully on the Moon’s most difficult terrain, the South Pole.” The words appeared on the Verum’s crystal ball.
“HURRAY! INDIA IS ON THE MOON!” Mysticals jumped in joy and hugged each other, joining over 1.4 billion people of India, celebrating the successful landing.
The crystal ball then displayed, “Indians stood together in prayer and hope with India’s scientists as Chandrayaan-3 prepared to land on the Moon. At ISRO, the team waited with bated breath, tensed and prayerful, while the mission inched closer to descend and then erupted in electrifying applause and tears of joy when the landing was confirmed a success. The event was live-streamed and Indians witnessed the historic day in India’s space history.”
“Verum’s dear crystal ball, can you tell us what will Chandrayaan-3 do now that it has landed on the Moon? What does this success mean for India? What makes the Moon’s South Pole a difficult terrain?” Scorch had many questions.
“Chandrayaan-3 is Indian Space Research and Organisation’s (ISRO) third mission to the Moon. It was launched on July 14 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh on a 40-day journey to the Moon.
The South Pole of the Moon is quite bumpy. It is covered with large craters. It is also quite dark in this region. These conditions make it difficult for a spacecraft to land. ISRO chose the south pole after its first lunar mission, Chandrayaan-1, discovered the presence of water molecules there. The findings from this region will be a treasure for future lunar missions.
To answer your other question, Chandrayaan-3 is carrying a rover named Pragyaan to the Moon. The six-wheeled Pragyaan has a 14-day mission life. It will study the Moon’s surface and send data back to the scientists on Earth.
This mission will help ISRO understand the geology and environment of the Moon.” The crystal ball displayed the information.
“How much did the entire mission cost?” Scorch said.
“Chandrayaan-3 cost India ₹615 crore,” Verum answered.
“Woah,” Orak said.
“That’s not all,” Verum added, “With this momentous feat, India became the first country ever to land on the south pole of the Moon. It is also only the fourth country to land on the Moon, after the United States, Russia, and China!”
“Look, the crystal ball is showing us images from India,” Scorch pointed at the crystal ball.
“That’s the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the ISRO chief S
Somnath addressing the team and the nation after the landing,” said Verum, adding, “It was an overwhelming day for India. It was an overwhelming day for every Indian who was glued to their screen and praying for the lunar mission.
When the event went live, the comment sections of the streaming platforms were overflowing with messages wishing luck and sending prayers and then upon the successful landing, they were flooded with congratulatory messages and the Indian greeting slogan, Jai Hind!”
“Truly, congratulations, ISRO! I am speechless, teary-eyed, swelling with pride and happy,” Felix spoke barely throughout but then uttered these words, representing the patriotic sentiment of every Indian throughout the width and breadth of the country, “Jai Hind!”