THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: ISRO chairman S Somanath on Sunday said there is no room for controversy over the naming of the landing point of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon as 'Shiv Shakti' and there have been precedents of names being assigned to lunar features.
Interacting with the media during his visit to Pournamikavu-Bhadrakali Temple at Venganoor, Somanath said that India has already assigned a few names to lunar regions and that it is a tradition being followed by the countries that conduct expeditions to the moon.
"It's not the first time a name has been given. Indian names are already there. We have a Sarabhai crater on the Moon. Each country can give their names. Naming is a tradition. There is no controversy over the matter," he said.
PM Narendra Modi had announced that the point where 'Vikram' made the touchdown on the moon will be called 'Shiv Shakti'. The naming precipitated heated debates on whether giving a religious colour to the successful expedition was in the right taste. The debate got amplified further when senior Congress leader Raashid Alvi commented that Modi has no authority to give a name to a lunar feature.
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Somanath, meanwhile, said the pictures sent from Chandrayaan lack clarity since the shadows on the moon are darker owing to the lack of atmosphere and sunlight.
He said landing a mission on the South pole of the moon is always a challenge owing to the irregular terrain and lack of sunlight. However, the area has always fascinated scientists as it is totally unexplored.
"Finding a flat surface for landing is very difficult. Sunlight is only for 14 days. But chances of finding minerals and water are high in that region," he said.
He added that the rover is functioning as per schedule. "Two experiments have been carried out by the rover and the data is interesting. It's the first time such data is being brought out," he added.
Somnath also revealed that data transfer from the moon is difficult and assistance from the US, Britain and Australia are required to access data using their ground stations.
Regarding ISRO's solar mission Aditya L-1, he said the launch is slated to be held in September first week. "The satellite is ready and assembled with a PSLV rocket. The exact launch date will be announced if the test data are accurate," he added.