BENGALURU: S Somanath, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and Secretary, Department of Space, received the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) World Space Award for the achievements of Chandrayaan-3.
An official release from ISRO stated that the recognition celebrates India’s contribution to space exploration. “Celebrations underway in Milan as we continue to strive for new frontiers,” ISRO posted on ‘X’ on Monday.
The award ceremony was held on October 14 during the 75th International Astronautical Congress in Milan, Italy. The IAF recognised the mission’s achievement where India was the first country to land near the lunar South Pole on August 23, 2023.
The IAF on its website posted: “Chandrayaan-3 mission by ISRO exemplifies the synergy of scientific curiosity and cost-effective engineering, symbolising India’s commitment to excellence and the vast potential that space exploration offers humanity. Rapidly unveiling previously undiscovered facets of the Moon’s composition and geology, the mission stands as a global testament to innovation.
Achieving a historic milestone, Chandrayaan-3 becomes the first to touch down near the lunar South Pole, showcasing both aspiration and technological prowess on an international scale.”
India is also among the elite group of nations like United States, Russia and China to have completed a successful soft landing on the Moon’s surface.
At the event, scientists also made a special note of the lander Vikram and rover Pragyan, which were designed to explore the Moon’s surface and conduct experiments to better understand the Moon’s composition and geology.