West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday called Chandrayaan 3 a “matter of pride for the entire nation”. However, she said that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) team belonged to India and its hard work came from scientists and not a political entity.
“Chandrayaan-3 mission is a matter of pride for the entire nation! The @isro team belongs to India. Their hard work is a testament of the country’s progress which has come from the people, scientists and economists, and not any political entity”, Banerjee posted on X, formerly called Twitter.
She said that scientists from across the country, including her state Bengal, greatly contributed to the mission.
“I applaud the efforts of all those who have worked hard at taking India’s lunar exploration to greater heights! With Chandraayan-3 inching closer to reaching the lunar South Pole, we must all stand together and cheer for its successful soft landing!”, she added.
Chandrayaan 3, India’s third moon mission is set to make a soft landing on the south pole of the moon at around 6:04 pm tomorrow. If successful, India will become the fourth country after the United States, Russia and China to achieve the milestone.
Earlier in the day, ISRO shared images of the moon from the lander module’s camera at an altitude of 70 kilometres. The space agency said that the mission is on schedule and the systematic checks are being carried out.
“Smooth sailing is continuing, The Mission Operations Complex (at ISRO) is buzzed with energy and excitement”, ISRO posted on social platform X, formerly called Twitter.
The ‘Vikram’ lander module of the spacecraft successfully separated from the propulsion module on Thursday, and subsequently underwent crucial deboosting manoeuvres and descended to a slightly lower orbit.
The stated objectives of Chandrayaan-3 are safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, rover moving on the moon’s surface, and in-situ scientific experiments.
