By Dr Adarsh Swaika Indian Ambassador
The Blue Supermoon which most of us in Kuwait witnessed last week seemed extra special and closer, due to the presence of an extraordinary Indian duo on the surface of the moon. The Vikram Lander and the Pragyan Rover- propelled onto by Chandrayaan-3, India’s lunar Mission, made history and headlines worldwide by being the first mission ever to touchdown on the moon’s dark side, its South Pole. India became the first country to do so, while only four other countries having successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon.
Drawing from the unfulfilled mission of Chandrayaan-2 four years ago, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) continued with its resilient and focused task by expectedly achieving its objective on August 23, 2023. The soft landing on the moon is no mean feat, given the challenges involved and the unknown nature of the landing site. In the words of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who witnessed it live from the venue of the BRICS Summit in South Africa, it was a ‘special moment of this century’.
Felicitations from global leaders and international scientific community proved that any such scientific feat is not country-specific but for the entire mankind. It was a special occasion in Kuwait as well with the visiting Minister of State for External Relations and Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan watching it live with members of the Indian community. The congratulatory messages from the entire leadership of Kuwait made it more special. With over 8 million concurrent viewers, the touchdown of Chandrayaan-3’s lander module became the most-watched event on YouTube during the live streaming.
Every screen that it was screened on bears witness to curious young eyes, inspired and fired by enthusiasm and confidence of exploring the world, for India and for the benefit of the mankind. The main focus of the science payloads onboard Chandrayaan-3 is to provide an integrated assessment of the lunar surface features, including the thermal properties and surface elements of the lunar topsoil (regolith) as well as the plasma environment near the surface. It will also assess the lunar seismic activities and the impact of meteors on the lunar surface.
The Pragyan rover has confirmed the presence of sulfur, iron, oxygen and other elements on the moon. Having successfully achieved its mission objectives, the Vikram Lander outdid itself by performing a ‘hop’ on the moon surface, thus paving the way for future Indian missions. The Indian civilization has always looked up with awe, with reverence for the cosmic creation, but also with a clear-headed sense of wonder and exploration. Indian mythology is replete with references to the moon, which has been anecdotally referred to as ‘uncle’ in the lullabies and children stories’.
Ancient Indian astronomers such as Brahmagupta, Bhaskaracharya and Aryabhatta studied the sun, planets and celestial phenomenon in great details. It is no wonder then that the moon is ‘primus interparus’ for the Indian civilization when it comes to celestial objects. This spirit of inquiry and the penchant to ‘know the unknown’ was given a shape in independent India by building a rigorous science and technology ecosystem which in time, resulted into centers of excellence like the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
Should a developing country with mammoth challenges invest in an expensive endeavor such as space research? Naysayers asked then, some continue to do so now. But historic accomplishments like success of Chadrayaan-3 and Aditya L1 defy such apprehensions. And this has been made possible by a greater and more steadfast commitment of the Indian Government in the last decade under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Having launched 381 foreign satellites for 34 countries so far in recent years, ISRO is today leading the space research domain offering low-cost launch services to governments and businesses worldwide.
In 2013, India became the fourth country to put a spacecraft in the Mars orbit. In July 2023, India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle made its 58th flight to carry on board 7 satellites from Singapore. Earlier this month on 2 September, India launched its first solar mission ‘Aditya L1’ to observe the Sun (Aditya means ‘the sun’ in Sanskrit). Aditya L-1 will be placed in an orbit around the Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, about 1.5 million km from earth to enable it to study the Sun and its atmosphere.
ISRO has a very ambitious mission milestones for the next 3 years – Gaganyaan (the human spaceflight program in 3 phases from early 2024 to 2025); Shukrayaan-1 (to study Venus) and Mangalyaan 2 (second Mission orbiting mission to the Mars). On the back of extreme cost-effective research and innovation and an excellent work ethics, Indian scientists are accomplishing the most difficult challenges with elan. India’s vibrant youth is a co-partner in India’s ambition for peaceful use of space exploration, with the emergence of Space sector Start-ups in various space domains. The first Indian private sub-orbital launch recently was enabled through the Space sectoral reforms.
What has India’s commitment towards space research and exploration achieved so far? The answer to that question is today tangibly visible- in diverse domains and in vast geographies, not just in India but over the entire globe. From communication to navigation, from agriculture to resource mapping, from urban planning to disaster management, from water conservation to pollution mitigation, from weather forecasting to televised entertainment- India has benefited vastly from ISRO’s space research endeavors. Across the boundaries, Indian space research has benefited people all around the world, including in Asia and Africa.
India’s e-VBAB (e Vidyabharati & e- Arogyabharati ) project, launched in 2019, is a Tele-education project that aims to offer 15,000 scholarships to students from all over Africa, sponsored by Government of India to pursue higher education in various disciplines including computer application, business administration and commerce, healthcare, tourism, humanities and arts etc. India is now home to a new international organization, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), another area which benefits from our eyes in the sky.
In a world confronted with the challenges of global climate change, the role of satellite-based weather monitoring, remote sensing and navigation technologies is immensely significant. With a clear understanding that space is not bound by national boundaries, India has actively engaged in bilateral and multilateral space cooperation; taking up new scientific and technological challenges; refining space policies and defining international frameworks for exploitation and utilization of outer space for peaceful purposes.
Internationally, India is viewed by space-faring nations as an emerging space power, capable of achieving its goals in a more cost effective and time-efficient manner. Many countries are looking to India for cooperation in building up their capabilities to derive benefits of space technology. This is also an emerging and promising area of bilateral cooperation with Kuwait, which has also forayed into this sector by the successful launch of Kuwait Sat-1 earlier this year. As India hosts the leaders of G-20 countries in New Delhi next week, with our civilizational motto of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam or the World Is One Family- it bears no repetition that India’s success is mankind’s success.