National Space Day: From Chandrayaan to Gaganyaan, a look back at India's space journey

India is celebrating its first National Space Day today (August 23, 2024) at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi. The significant occasion commemorates India's remarkable achievement as the first country to successfully land on the south polar region of the Moon and the fourth country to achieve a lunar landing. The theme for this year's National Space Day is "Touching Lives while Touching the Moon: India’s Space Saga."  National Space Day serves to recognise significant achievements in space exploration, showcase advancements in space technology, and inspire future generations to take an interest in space science and technology. 

It aims to provide students with role models and enhance public awareness of the importance and benefits of space exploration, promoting national pride and unity.

Significance of National Space Day

The Government of India has formally designated August 23 as "National Space Day" to honour the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. This mission resulted in the safe landing of the Vikram Lander at the 'Shiv Shakti' point and the deployment of the Pragyaan Rover on the lunar surface on August 23, 2023.

In addition to the Chandrayaan-3 mission, India has achieved numerous successful space missions in the past. Here's a look at some of the remarkable missions carried out by ISRO.

Aditya-L1 Mission:

Aditya-L1 is a satellite dedicated to the comprehensive study of the Sun. The satellite, equipped with 7 distinct payloads, has been developed indigenously, with five payloads built by ISRO and two in collaboration with Indian academic institutes. 

Aditya-L1 will orbit approximately 1.5 million km away from Earth, focusing on studying the outer atmosphere of the Sun. Despite its proximity to the Sun, the satellite will not land on or approach the Sun any closer.

Chandrayaan-2:

The Chandrayaan-2 mission was a highly complex endeavour, involving an Orbiter, Lander, and Rover with the goal of exploring the south pole of the Moon. This unique mission aimed to study various areas of the Moon, including the exosphere, surface, and sub-surface, all in a single mission. The lander and rover of this mission crashed while landing but the orbiter of this mission significantly helped India in the Chandrayaan-3 mission. 

Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM):

India's first interplanetary mission to Mars, MOM was launched on November 05, 2013, aboard PSLV-C25. Successfully entering Mars' orbit, ISRO became the fourth space agency to achieve this feat. Originally designed for a mission life of 6 months, MOM completed 7 years in orbit on Sept 24, 2021. 

The mission's objectives include technological feats such as creating and launching a Mars orbiter spacecraft capable of independent operation, as well as studying Mars' surface features, morphology, mineralogy, and atmosphere.

Chandrayaan-1:

Launched on October 22, 2008, Chandrayaan-1 marked India's first mission to the Moon. The spacecraft, orbiting at a height of 100 km from the lunar surface, conducted essential chemical, mineralogical, and photo-geologic mapping of the Moon. 

After fulfilling its main mission objectives and completing over 3400 orbits, the satellite's orbital height was raised to 200 km. Communication with the spacecraft was lost on August 29, 2009, leading to the conclusion of the mission.

Gaganyaan:

The Gaganyaan project aims to demonstrate India's human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of 3 members to an orbit of 400 km for a 3-day mission and safely bringing them back to Earth, with a planned landing in the Indian sea waters. 

Notable prerequisites for the mission include the development of critical technologies, such as a human-rated launch vehicle, life support systems, crew emergency escape provisions, and crew management aspects for training, recovery, and rehabilitation. 

Various precursor missions are in the works to showcase the technology preparedness levels required for the actual Human Space Flight mission.

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