PM Modi Names Chandrayaan-3 Landing Site 'Shiv Shakti' And Chandrayaan-2 Crash Site 'Tiranga’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday named the landing site of Chandrayaan-3 on the lunar South Pole as "Shiv Shakti Point" and the crash site of Chandrayaan-2 as "Tiranga Point." He made the announcement during his visit to the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru.

Terming the success of Chandrayaan-3 mission as an 'extraordinary moment' in the history of India's India's space programme, he said the place where the Chandrayaan-2 lander crash-landed on the Moon's surface in 2019 would be known as ''Tiranga Point''.

August 23, the day the Chandrayaan-3 lander touched down on the lunar surface, would be celebrated as ''National Space Day'', said the Prime Minister, who turned emotional while addressing the team ISRO at ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) here, as he lavishly praised them for their dedication and passion.

While addressing the scientists, PM Modi said,''Today, I am feeling a different level of happiness...such occasions are very rare...this time, I was so restless...I was in South Africa but my mind was with you.''

PM Modi also lavished praise on the scientists and expressed his gratitude to them for placing the Indian flag on the Moon.

"India is on the Moon. We have our national pride placed on the Moon. We have reached a place where no one has reached before. We have achieved a feat which no one has achieved before. This is today's India. Bold and Brave," PM Modi said.

It must be noted that the name "Shiv Shakti" is a reference to the Hindu deity Shiva, who is associated with power and strength. The name "Tiranga" refers to the Indian flag, which is a symbol of national pride.

Modi's decision to name the landing sites was welcomed by scientists and politicians alike. They said that it was a fitting tribute to India's space exploration achievements and would inspire future generations of scientists and engineers.

ISRO Chairman S Somanath briefed him about the Chandrayaan-3 mission. A large number of people, many of them holding aloft national flags, gathered outside the HAL Airport and Jalahalli Cross, which is close to ISTRAC, to greet the Prime Minister.

On Wednesday evening as the Lander Module of Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully touched down on the lunar surface, Modi had joined the ISRO team at Mission Operations Complex (MOX) at ISTRAC virtually from Johannesburg, where he was attending the 15th BRICS summit.

PM Modi had also flown down to Bengaluru on the night of September 6, 2019 to watch the planned touch down of Chandrayaan-2 mission's 'Vikram' lander. But in the early hours of September seven, barely minutes before it was slated to land, ISRO lost contact with the craft, just 2.1 kms above the lunar surface.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission is the third lunar mission undertaken by India. The mission successfully landed the Vikram lander on the lunar South Pole on August 23, 2023. The lander is carrying the Pragyan rover, which is scheduled to roll out of the lander on September 6.

The Chandrayaan-2 mission was launched in July 2019. The mission's orbiter and lander successfully made it to the moon, but the lander crashed during its descent.

The successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 is a major milestone for India's space program. It is the first time that India has landed a spacecraft on the lunar South Pole. The mission is expected to provide valuable insights into the lunar surface and its evolution.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi flew down to Bengaluru around 6 am directly from the Greek capital of Athens to interact with ISRO scientists involved in the Chandrayaan-3 mission to the Moon.

Addressing a large number of people gathered outside the HAL airport, the PM said since he was coming from a far-off place (Athens) he did not know what time he would reach here, and he requested Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar not to take the trouble of coming to receive him as he would return soon after paying tributes to ISRO scientists.