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India counts down to historic moon landing

Success of Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft will make it the first to land on the lunar south pole.

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Arun Haryani holds up a model of LVM3-M4, which was used in launching of Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, on the eve of its moon landing, in Ahmedabad, India. [Amit Dave/Reuters]
Published On 23 Aug 2023

Excitement is rising in India at a much-anticipated moon landing, with prayers held for its success, schools marshalling students to watch a live telecast of the event and space enthusiasts organising parties to celebrate.

The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is scheduled to land on the lunar south pole at 12:34 GMT on Wednesday, days after the failure of a Russian vehicle trying to achieve the same feat.

Success for Chandrayaan-3 will make it the first to land on the lunar south pole, a region whose shadowed craters are thought to contain water ice that could support a future moon settlement.

India’s second attempt to land on the moon after a failure in 2019 is being seen as a display of the tenacity of its scientific institutions.

Authorities and educators also hope it will encourage scientific inquiry among millions of students in the world’s most populous country.

Students have sent scores of messages wishing ISRO luck for a successful landing, the agency said.

In the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, the provincial government ordered all schools to hold special screenings as the “landing of India’s Chandrayaan-3 is a memorable opportunity, which will not only encourage curiosity, but will also instil passion in our youth towards inquiry”.

The Gujarat Council on Science and Technology, in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has invited more than 2,000 school students “to witness the historic moment” on a large screen, its head Narottam Sahoo said.

The council has also organised talks by ISRO scientists. The event will be shown live across Gujarat’s 33 district community science centres.

The state culture ministry in the eastern city of Kolkata is throwing a “Science Party” to celebrate the mission, asking people to “embark on exhilarating educational adventure” with a live telecast.

Hindu religious prayer ceremonies were organised on Tuesday in Mumbai and Varanasi cities for the success of the mission.

Srikant Chunduri, an entrepreneur and founder of a group of space enthusiasts called “Agnirva”, said he has arranged a “watch party” for the landing at a popular Bengaluru restaurant.

“If we want to build a community for space enthusiasts, [there is] nothing more momentous than this landing to get people together,” he told Reuters news agency.

ISRO has been sharing regular updates of the mission through posts on X, formerly Twitter.

“The mission is on schedule. Systems are undergoing regular checks. Smooth sailing is continuing,” it said on Tuesday. “The Mission Operations Complex (MOX) is buzzed with energy & excitement!”

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A Hindu priest performs a special prayer for the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission next to a model of the spacecraft LVM3-M4 used to launch it during a religious function in Kolkata. [Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP]
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People perform havan, traditional Hindu fire ritual, as part of a special prayer for the safe landing of Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the moon, in New Delhi. [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]
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A young woman takes a selfie along with a cutout of the Chandrayaan-3 Launch Vehicle Mark-III outside a temple in Mumbai, India. [Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters]
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Priests and civilians perform a Hindu ritual to pray for the success of the Chandrayaan-3 lunar exploration mission by the ISRO at a temple in Mumbai. [Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters]
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ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is scheduled to land on the lunar south pole at 12:34 GMT on Wednesday, days after the failure of a Russian vehicle trying to achieve the same feat. [Amit Dave/Reuters]
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Children wave Indian flags at their school premises in Mumbai as they cheer for the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3. India’s previous attempt to land a robotic spacecraft near the moon’s little-explored south pole failed in 2019. [Rajanish Kakade/AP Photo]
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Children with faces painted stand around a replica of the moon on their school premises in Chennai as they cheer for the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3. [R.Parthibhan/AP Photo]
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Students gather in support of the Chandrayaan-3 mission in Chennai. India launched a rocket on July 14 carrying an unmanned spacecraft to land on the moon, its second attempt to do so as its cut-price space programme seeks to reach new heights. [R Satish Babu/AFP]
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A man walks in front of a model of Chandrayaan-3, installed on a roadside to celebrate its first attempt to land on the moon's south polar region, in Chennai. [Idrees Mohammed/EPA]