Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (August 26) met the ISRO scientists in Bengaluru over the success of Chandrayaan-3.
He patted the back of ISRO chief S Somanath for the proud success of India's lunar mission which landed on Moon on August 23.
The Prime Minister was given the presentation of the landing of Chandrayaan 3 and was presented with a picture of the Moon.
He addressed the scientists and made a series of announcements including naming the landing points of Chandrayaan-3 and Chandrayaan-2 as 'Shivashakti' and 'Tirnaga Point' respectively.
"On 23rd August, India hoisted the flag on the Moon. From now onwards, that day will be known as National Space Day in India. The spot on the lunar surface where the Chandrayaan-2 left its footprints will be known as 'Tiranga'. This will be an inspiration for every effort made by India. it will remind us any failure is not final..." he said.
PM Modi lauded the role of women scientists in Chandrayaan-3.
"Women scientists played a key role in Chandrayaan 3..this 'Shivkshakti' point will inspire the upcoming generations to use science for the welfare of people. The welfare of people is our supreme commitment," he said.
"Experts say that in a few years, India's space industry will become $16 billion from $8 billion...": PM Modi said.
Ahead of the meeting, he held a roadshow in Bengaluru soon after arriving in the city.
The Prime Minister arrived at the Bengaluru airport straight from Athens, concluding his two-nation visit.
"Landed in Bengaluru. Looking forward to interacting with our exceptional ISRO scientists who have made India proud with the success of Chandrayaan-3. Their dedication and passion are truly the driving forces behind our nation's achievements in the space sector," PM Modi tweeted.
Soon after he came out of the airport, the Prime Minister waved at the supporters waiting outside and addressed them.
"Jai Vigyan, Jai Anusandhan," PM Modi raised slogans during his address where the supporters echoed the slogans.
"When our scientists give such a present to the nation, the visuals I can see here in Bengaluru are similar to what I saw in Greece. I could not stop myself. I decided that I will go to Bengaluru first after reaching India. I wanted to bow down to the scientists first. The Chief Minister, Governor cooperated with me. I cannot wait to meet the scientists. I thank the people of Bengaluru for your enthusiasm," the Prime Minister added.
The Prime Minister said that he could not "control himself" as he was not in the country. "But I decided to visit Bengaluru first and meet our scientists right after visiting India," he said.
Locals with posters and the national flag gathered on the streets outside HAL airport in Bengaluru to welcome PM Modi as he will meet scientists of ISRO team involved in the Chandrayaan-3 Mission at ISRO Telemetry Tracking & Command Network Mission Control Complex.
"When there was a failure, PM Modi accepted it and today we are all celebrating this success. Under the leadership of PM Modi, we have achieved something that no other country could, India is shining. PM Modi is coming to Bengaluru to congratulate our scientists," one of the locals said.
After a 40-day journey into space, the Chandrayaan-3 lander, 'Vikram', touched down on the uncharted lunar South Pole on Wednesday (August 23) evening at 6:04 pm, making India the first country to do so.
The Prime Minister joined the live telecast of Chandrayaan-3 landing online from South Africa. PM Modi hailed the Chandrayaan-3 mission creating history by achieving a soft landing on the lunar surface and said “India is now on the moon”.
"When we see such historic moments it makes us very proud. This is the dawn of new India,” he had said.
The spacecraft was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota on July 14 (Friday). A GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle was used for the launch of the spacecraft that was placed in the lunar orbit on August 5 and since then, it went through a series of orbital manoeuvres before zeroing in on the moon’s surface.
