National Space Day

India celebrates its maiden National Space Day on August 23, 2024.

Background

The Government of India has officially declared August 23rd as "National Space Day" to honour the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, which achieved a safe and soft landing of the Vikram Lander at the 'Shiv Shakti' point and deployed the Pragyaan Rover on the lunar surface on August 23, 2023.

Objectives

National Space Day recognizes significant achievements in space exploration and highlights advancements in space technology. The day is dedicated to inspiring future generations by generating interest in space science and technology among students and providing them with role models.

Furthermore, National Space Day enhances public awareness of the importance and benefits of space exploration, promoting national pride and unity. It serves as a powerful reminder of the impact of space exploration on our lives and the need for continued support and progress in this essential field.

Chandrayaan-3 mission

Chandrayaan-3 mission accomplished safe and soft-landing of Vikram Lander on the lunar surface on August 23, 2023. With this, India became the fourth country to land on the moon and first to land near the southern polar region of the moon. The soft-landing was followed by successful deployment of Pragyan Rover. The landing site was named as 'Shiv Shakti' point (Statio Shiv Shakti) .

Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface. It consists of Lander and Rover configuration. It will be launched by LVM3 from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota. The propulsion module will carry the lander and rover configuration till 100 km lunar orbit. The propulsion module has Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload to study the spectral and Polari metric measurements of Earth from the lunar orbit. To know more visit Chandrayaan 3 details from ISRO website

Theme for 2024

India is celebrating its maiden National Space Day [NSpD-2024] on August 23, 2024 with the theme "Touching Lives while Touching the Moon: India's Space Saga."

This achievement is being celebrated across the country during July and August 2024, with the goal of engaging and inspiring the younger generation in the field of Space Science and Technology. A myriad of events will unfold highlighting India's remarkable achievements in space, profound benefits to the society, and boundless opportunities for people from all walks of life to engage with the Indian space programme. These celebrations will culminate into the main event at New Delhi on August 23, 2024.

Source : ISRO 

Related resources

1. Space on Wheels