With a series of achievements reinforcing its growth, India is having an outstanding year on the global stage. As if the RRR Oscar win wasn’t impressive enough, the country’s Chandrayaan-3 landed on the moon on August 23, marking the end of the spaceship’s 40 day expedition into the cosmos.
The Chandrayaan-3 embarked on its journey on July 14, 2023, at 2:35 p.m, with a hefty price tag of 6.18 billion rupees (approximately 75 million USD). The mission underwent its initial stages of development in January 2020, but the effects of the pandemic delayed the 2021 launch.
“I feel like this is a really great achievement for India, and it truly just empowers everyone, not just Indian people, because it shows that if you have a goal, then you can achieve it,” Riya Shah, President of Lambert’s Indian Cultural Society explained.
The successful landing of the Chandrayaan-3 has vindicated the world’s doubts about India’s scientific capabilities. Back in 2014, The New York Times published a cartoon ridiculing India for not being able to gain entry into the “Elite Space Club.” Following the landing of the spacecraft, the cartoon has resurfaced and sparked outrage in the South Asian community.
“It’s not an accurate depiction of who India is,” Lambert senior Sidharth Bharatwaj explained. “There’s a lot that’s missing and not a lot that’s shown.”
Despite these stereotypes, the nation is making aerospace history. After traveling 186,411 miles, the Chandrayaan-3 became the first spacecraft ever to land on the moon’s south pole.
“I feel like this will really inspire other countries to also get there because there’s so many resources on the south pole that people want to find,” Shah said.
In terms of future celestial endeavors, India already has a head start with the recent launch of their satellite the Aditya-L1. The mission aims to study various aspects of the sun such as solar activity and its atmospheric layers.
Without a doubt, it’s evident that India has a lot of potential for astronomical advancements that can take the country to a whole new dimension.
