India over the moon as ISRO goes the distance

By: Bernard Momanyi, Editorial Director 2 min read
India over the moon as ISRO goes the distance
India's Chandrayaan-3 that landed closer to Moon on August 24, 2023.

NEW Delhi, Aug 24 – India made history Wednesday by becoming the first nation to land a spacecraft, Chandrayaan-3, near the south pole of the moon.

The success of India’s third lunar mission makes it only the fourth country to achieve the milestone after the US, Russia and China.

As lander Vikram, touched down at the proposed landing site 70 metres near the south pole at 6.04 pm, it marked the culmination of the work of decades by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), evoking awe and winning plaudits from an array of global and local admirers.

“India is on the Moon,” said chairman S Somanath to the sound of resounding cheers that erupted at the Mission Operations Complex (MOX) at Isro’s Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru.

Terming the moment as “unforgettable,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who viewed the landing live from Johannesburg, said, “When we see such a history being made before our eyes, life becomes blessed.

Such historical events become the eternal consciousness of a nation’s life.” Noting that India will soon launch the Aditya L1 mission, the prime minister said, “Even the Sun is not far away.”

Speaking to the reporters after the monumental achievement, the ISRO chief attributed the success of Chandrayaan-3 to project director P Veeramuthuvel and mission directors M Srikanth and Kalpana K, and M Sankaran, director of the UR Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru.

As soon as the landing was confirmed, MOX erupted in cheers, handshakes, and smiles. Members of Isro waved the Indian flag, distributed sweets and the media gallery saw sloganeering drown the live stream, erasing the disappointment of a failed attempt to land a spacecraft on the moon in 2019.

More than eight million plus people are believed to have tuned in to witness the soft-landing of Chandrayaan-3 on Isro’s official YouTube channel.

This marks the highest-ever live viewership on a YouTube channel stream, surpassing the previous record of 6.1 million viewers set during the Brazil vs Croatia match in the football world cup of 2022 held in Qatar.

India’s moon landing occupied the top trending spots on X, formerly called Twitter.

Bernard Momanyi, Editorial Director

Bernard Momanyi, Editorial Director

Bernard is the Editorial Director at Capital FM, with more than two decades of experience in journalism, editorial leadership and news gathering across print and electronic media. He has built extensive experience in newsroom management, editorial strategy, content development and media leadership, overseeing the development and delivery of news and current affairs content across multiple platforms. Bernard holds a Bachelor’s degree in Information Sciences from Moi University, a Master of Arts in Communication Studies – Development Communication from the University of Nairobi, and an Executive Master’s in Media Leadership and Innovation from Aga Khan University. As Editorial Director, he provides strategic leadership to Capital FM’s newsroom, with a focus on editorial excellence, innovation, public-interest journalism and the evolution of media in a rapidly changing digital environment.