Punekars laud ISRO scientists for Chandrayaan-3 launch

Pune -

The country’s third lunar exploration mission, Chandrayaan-3, was launched on Friday at 2.35 p.m. from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The city boasts multiple national-level space research institutes such as IUCAA (Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics) and NCRA (National Centre for Radio Astrophysics). Scientists, experts from fraternity, average citizens, and even school children followed the much-anticipated launch live on Friday.

The launch on Friday follows the 2019 Chandrayaan-2 mission, which aims for a soft landing on the moon’s surface.

In response to the news, Prof Mandar Kenvi, an astrophysics expert from Pune, stated that the Chandrayaan 3 mission will be highly significant for global research.

“India has an opportunity to demonstrate the extent to which the country’s technology has advanced. The LVM 3 launch vehicle is one of ISRO’s most powerful launches. Because ‘Chandrayaan 3’ has a rover, lander, and propulsion module, it cannot enter space on its own. As a result, it was included to this launcher,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Pune citizens watched the launch from various spots throughout the city, with the majority of them watching from home.

“We are very proud of ISRO for successfully launching Chandrayan 3 today, and we will soon be able to explore the Moon more prominently through this mission,” said Ashwini Jadhav, a science student.

LVM stands 43.50 m tall and is India’s heaviest launch vehicle. This launch vehicle was used by ISRO to launch the first orbital test ‘GSLVMK3’ from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on June 5, 2017.

The same launch vehicle again launched ‘Chandrayaan 2’ in 2019. ‘LVM3’ has successfully launched satellites into low-altitude orbit. It has undergone numerous upgrades, making it suitable for human missions, according to ISRO’s official statement.

As a result, 36 internet satellites of the UK-based One Web Group Company were launched using ‘LVM3’.