August 23 Space Day: A Date Written in Space History

KHUSHI KUMARI

Image Source: GOOGLE IMAGES

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On this date, ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 achieved a successful soft landing near the Moon’s south polar region—India became the first country to do so, and the fourth overall to soft-land on the Moon

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The lander used real-time sensors, cameras, and precision thrusters to avoid obstacles and touch down gently—a testament to ISRO’s advanced mission design

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Chandrayaan-3 became the first spacecraft to land near the Moon’s south pole—an area of high interest due to potential water-ice reserves

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Over 8 million concurrent viewers watched the landing via ISRO’s livestream—setting a new global record on YouTube for a live event

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Prime Minister Modi named the landing site "Statio Shiv Shakti" and declared August 23 as National Space Day. Global leaders and agencies—like NASA and ESA—praised the achievement

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Lessons from Chandrayaan-2’s failure shaped Chandrayaan-3’s mission. Over 200 design improvements were implemented—showcasing perseverance and innovation

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ISRO plans a sample-return mission (Chandrayaan-4) and a collaborative rover mission (Chandrayaan-5) with JAXA. The momentum continues toward lunar exploration—and maybe eventually human spaceflight