STORY CREDITS

Writer/Editor: Vasudha Chatterjee

Photo: Diptanka Sekhar De

“Just like the first birthday of a new-born is celebrated with great pomp and show, we wish to celebrate the first anniversary of Chandrayaan 3’s landing on the lunar surface with equal excitement” - Shri Nilesh M. Desai

Aug 23, 2023 marked a historic day for India. With Chandrayaan – 3 landing on the southern polar region of the moon, India became the fourth country in the world to set its foot on the lunar surface. To commemorate this momentous achievement, the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, declared Aug 23 as “National Space Day”. Revolving around the theme “Touching Lives While Touching the Moon: India’s Space Saga”, it aims to highlight the country’s achievements in the space mission and encourage the nation’s youth to contribute in its growth and development. The celebrations will take place all across the country, with the main event being held at the Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi on Aug 22-23, 2024. 

The Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN), in collaboration with SAC-ISRO Ahmedabad, celebrated the National Space Day on Aug 10, 2024 at the Jibaben Patel (Kanisa) Memorial Auditorium, IITGN. The event witnessed a stellar lineup of scientists and experts in the field of space science and technology, namely Shri Pradeep Soni, Scientist-SG, SAC ISRO, Prof Gulab Dwangan, Professor at IUCAA, Pune, Prof Shashikiran Ganesh, Professor in Astronomy and Astrophysics Division, PRL, Ahmedabad, Dr Suresh Doravari, STO-F R&D at IUCAA, Pune, and Shri Pranav Singh, Deputy Director, Program Management and Authorization, IN-SPACe, SAC-ISRO Ahmedabad who delivered thought-provoking lectures on the past, present and future of space science in India.

In his inaugural address, Shri Nilesh M. Desai, Director, Space Applications Centre (SAC/ISRO), Ahmedabad, shed light on the relevance and contribution of SAC in the successful landing of Chandrayaan – 3. “People know about ISRO, but very few know about SAC. SAC is a unique initiative of ISRO which focuses on multidisciplinary activities” stated Mr Desai. Charting out a brief history of the various space initiatives undertaken by India, he underlined the significance of today’s program in making space science accessible to the general public.

Talking about SAC’s contribution in the successful landing of Chandrayaan -3, Shri Pradeep Soni remarked “SAC played an integral role in the landing process. The southern region of the moon has remained fairly underexplored. Inspite of that, we not only determined the landing site, but also sent live images of the surface which were viewed by the entire world”. While underscoring the technicalities of the mission, Mr Soni simultaneously spoke of Chandrayaan – 4; a mission that aims to bring samples from the moon for further testing and research.

Shri Gulab Dewangan, Shri Shashikiran Ganesh and Shri Suresh Doravari covered various aspects of space science, focusing on multi-wavelength astronomy, gravitational waves and space technology, to name a few. Each lecture was followed by an interactive session with the audience, where students from different schools asked a plethora of questions pertaining to space and technology. Shri Pranav Singh emphasized on the various career opportunities available to such enthusiasts, foregrounding the role of IN-SPACe in enabling them. The event concluded with a vote of thanks by Prof Anand Sengupta, Associate Professor, Physics, IITGN who called attention to the importance of hosting such events, and encouraging the worth of intergenerational knowledge sharing in furthering space research and exploration in India.