National Space Day 2024: From Mangalyaan To Chandrayaan, A Look Back At India's Space Achievements

As India observes National Space Day 2024, let us take a look at the stellar accomplishments of ISRO. From scratch to the space giant, ISRO has been breaking limits and doing wonders in the sci-tech world on a global level, bringing India among the top nations in this domain.

Chandrayaan

Chandrayaan program is one of the most celebrated achievements in ISRO history. India's first voyage to the Moon began on October 22, 2008. The mission had put India in a group of fifth nations to have orbited the Moon, but also come across something unprecedented — the presence of water molecules on its surface.

Chandrayaan-2 

Chandrayaan-1 was followed by another mission- Chandrayaan-2, which launched on July 22, 2019, to continue India's lunar exploration ambitions. While the mission's lander, Vikram did attempt to contact during descent but ultimately crash-landed on the Moon; yet orbiter had with valuable data and was successfully running for enhancement of our understanding of the moon.

ISRO did not stop there. Chandrayaan-3 on 23 August, 2023 created history by becoming the first spacecraft ever to land safely in the lunar south pole region. The Pragyan rover was also commissioned, making India the fourth country to operate a robotic rover on the Moon's surface. PM Modi dedicated to celebrating National Space Day on August 23 every year in acknowledgement of the Chandrayaan-3 success.

Mangalyaan

The Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) by ISRO was looked up on as the potential and cost-effective approach to space exploration. India became the first country to reach Mars on its maiden attempt and only the fourth space agency in the world, at that time. Launched on November 5, 2013, Mangalyaan was carried by PSLV-C25 into parking Earth orbit from where it began cruising towards the Martian atmosphere after a month-long recce of atmospheric conditions aboard Earth's topography mapping satellite RISAT-1 Amazingly, this feat was achieved on a $74 million-sized budget. Mangalyaan, one of the most lucrative interplanetary missions ever undertaken NASA's orbiter is still taking measurements, Mangalyaan orbits Mars. The data it collects further shows hints of the Martian atmosphere and surface, greatly adding to global Mars research.

Gaganyaan

ISRO’s Gaganyaan mission, set to launch in 2024, is an ambitious project that aims to send Indian astronauts into space aboard an indigenous spacecraft, making India one of the few nations capable of human spaceflight. Gaganyaan’s success will not only demonstrate India’s technological prowess but also open new avenues for human space exploration, including potential manned missions to the Moon and beyond.