Chandrayaan-3 will give a quantum leap to India’s role in global arena, world watching: Space Minister

The world realised that India is in a position to provide insights, inputs, and inferences that could be of utility to them as well for future missions. Today, we are equal partners. The Chandrayaan-3 is going to give a quantum leap to India’s role in the global arena. The entire world is watching — what we learn from this mission will be important for the global scientific community at large.

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The Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) third lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3, has successfully launched its attempt for soft landing on the moon. The previous attempt which was unsuccessful was merely three years prior when the results did not go quite as planned. However, this time, hopes and stakes are both higher than ever as India might just become the fourth country in the world to have a successful lunar landing. India would be behind only the United States, erstwhile Soviet Union, and China. (PTI Photo)

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The Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3) M4 vehicle with Chandrayaan-3 at the launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre after the conclusion of a simulation of the entire launch preparation and process, in Sriharikota. (PTI Photo)

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The Chandrayaan-3 mission is spread over nearly 40 days with a possible moon rendezvous scheduled for August 23. (PTI Photo)

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The rocket - an LVM3 - was launched at 2:30PM today (July 14) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The mission is an unmanned one and aims to use an already hovering orbiter around the Moon. The orbiter was launched by Chandrayaan-2's communications and other support purposes. (PTI Photo)

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The Chandrayaan-3 mission is one of the highly anticipated events of the year. It is a milestone in space exploration for not just India, but the world at large the South Pole of the Moon (where the mission aims to land) has hardly been explored by humans. (PTI Photo)

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The Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3) M4 vehicle with Chandrayaan-3 at the launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, in Sriharikota. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) commenced the 26-hour countdown for the launch at 1.05 pm on Thursday, July 13, 2023. (PTI Photo)

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Artist Sudarsan Pattnaik creates a sand art to wish good luck to ISRO scientists ahead of ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 mission, in Puri, Thursday, July 13, 2023. (PTI Photo)

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People gather to witness the launch of ISRO's launch vehicle Mark-III (LVM3) M4 rocket carrying 'Chandrayaan-3' at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, in Sriharikota, Friday, July 14, 2023. (PTI Photo)

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A girl takes a selfie with the Indian spacecraft Chandrayaan-3, the word for "moon craft" in Sanskrit, inside a temple in Mumbai, India, Friday, July 14, 2023. (AP Photo)

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Members of BJP perform Hindu rituals for the success of Indian spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 inside a temple in Mumbai,, Friday, July 14, 2023. (AP Photo)

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People gather to witness the launch of ISRO's Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3) M4 rocket carrying 'Chandrayaan-3' at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, in Sriharikota, Friday, July 14, 2023. (PTI Photo)

Chandrayaan-1 detected the presence of water on the moon and now the Chandrayaan-3 rover will take it to the next level. The landing of the lander-rover was planned close to the southern pole of the moon because it is an area that has a large number of craters (which remain permanently in shade, increasing the possibility of finding water and minerals).

Chandrayaan-1’s discovery of water molecules has prompted the US to send humans back to the moon. Is India also planning to send astronauts to the moon?

Right now our focus is the Gaganyaan mission, which has been completely indigenously developed. One step leads to the other. We need to learn from our experiences of Chandrayaan-3 and from the Gaganyaan, and then move on to the next level.

ISRO has a full calendar this year. How has the space agency been able to increase the pace of activities?

India never had a dearth of scientists — we have had brilliant scientists like Dr Vikram Sarabhai working under very meagre circumstances — but what was lacking was an enabling milieu at the level of policy and political leadership. The resources have been extended.

Big changes have happened in the space sector in the last three to four years. The space sector has been unlocked and we now have more than 150 world-class start-ups. We are now launching foreign satellites in big numbers. We have a PSU, NSIL (NewSpace India Limited),  that provides technology and services to customers. We have a government and industry interface, IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre). All this has together created an ecosystem that has increased the esteem of the scientists and provided them with the opportunity to work up to their potential. Earlier, we were functioning with a limited manpower, limited resources, not allowing others to participate, not allowing funds to come in, the government could not have afforded such huge funds and therefore, in a way, we were actually incapacitating ourselves.

And, how does the increased spending in the space sector help the common man?

We have not confined ourselves to just launching rockets in the last eight to nine years, we have taken space technology to every Indian household. It is being applied in a great measure in almost every sector, whether it be building of roads, railway tracks, smart cities, jal mission, tele-medicine, tele-education. You name a sector and there is space technology. If you look at the ambitious Swamitva mission — the property survey programme — it is being done by space technology. Space technology now is contributing to ease of living.

And, as the world moves on, we cannot deprive ourselves of the advantages that the rest of the world will possibly enjoy. So, if they have the advantage of having explored the mysteries of the universe and of the moon and start taking advantage, we cannot afford to be left behind. The potential benefits accruing in the years to come have to be equally available to India as well. We can no longer delay our march to the moon!