New Delhi, Aug 24: India has placed 548 satellites in orbit through 100 launches, with about 460 of those satellites sent into space over the past decade, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on National Space Day, highlighting the rapid expansion of the country’s space programme.
Puri said India’s space journey had progressed from missions such as Chandrayaan-1 and Mangalyaan to Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1, reflecting the country’s scientific capabilities, technological ambition and focus on innovation.
He also pointed to the growing role of India’s youth and private sector in the space ecosystem. According to Puri, the energy and ingenuity of young Indians, along with the work of space startups and private-sector innovators, are creating new possibilities for the country’s space ambitions.
Puri linked the expansion of the space sector to the broader goal of building a technologically advanced and self-reliant India. He said the space programme was emerging as an important force in the country’s pursuit of Viksit Bharat and Aatmanirbhar Bharat under the leadership and guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The National Space Day observance also marks the anniversary of a major milestone in India’s lunar exploration programme. On August 23, 2023, the Indian Space Research Organisation successfully landed Chandrayaan-3 near the Moon’s south pole.
With the achievement, India became the fourth country, after the United States, China and the former Soviet Union, to achieve a soft landing on the Moon. It also became the first country to reach the Moon’s rugged southern polar region.
India observed its first National Space Day on August 23, 2024. The annual observance commemorates the Chandrayaan-3 landing while recognising the country’s broader achievements in space science and technology.
Chandrayaan-3 began its journey aboard the LVM3-M4 from Sriharikota on July 14, 2023. The mission focused on demonstrating three key capabilities: a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, rover movement on the Moon and the conduct of scientific experiments on the surface.
Following the landing, the Pragyan rover emerged from the Vikram lander and carried out experiments alongside instruments installed on the lander. The mission examined aspects of the lunar environment, including surface temperature, seismic activity, plasma conditions and elemental composition, offering scientists data from a relatively unexplored region of the Moon.
The mission completed its planned objectives as the lander and rover operated for one lunar day, equivalent to about 14 Earth days. Both were designed to function for that duration, marking the successful completion of the mission’s operational objectives.
