ISRO Moon Mission: Know here about the people behind the Chandrayaan-3 mission, their achievements, and academic backgrounds.
ISRO Scientists: After Chandrayaan-2, Chandrayaan-3 is the next mission of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation). This moon mission aims for safe landing on the moon and exploring its surface. A rocket called LVM3 from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota, will launch the lander and rover into space.
The 2019 launch of Chandrayaan-2 included an orbiter, a lander, and the Pragyan rover. Unfortunately, a software error caused the plane to lose all communications minutes before it was scheduled to land; as a result, it deviated off course and crashed. The orbiter is still operational and gives the organisation useful data, so it wasn't a total disaster. Before Chandrayaan-2, Chandrayaan-1 was launched in 2008. It was India’s first lunar mission.
Now let us talk about the scientist behind the Chandrayaan 3 mission. These are the main forces that are making India proud with such extraordinary achievements. A whole team of experts is working on this mission under the leadership of the below-mentioned personalities. Let us have a look at their educational background and achievements.
S Somanath, ISRO Chairman
- B. Tech in Mechanical Engineering from TKM College of Engineering, Kollam.
- Masters (M. Tech) in Aerospace Engineering from IIS (Indian Institute of Science), Bangalore, specialising in Structures, Dynamics, and Control with a Gold Medal.
Ritu Karidhal Srivastava, Senior Scientist - ISRO
- B. Sc. in Physics from University of Lucknow
- M. Sc. in Physics from University of Lucknow
- Enrolled in a doctorate course in the Physics Department of University of Lucknow
- Research scholar at Lucknow University for six months
- Also know as “Rocket Woman of India”
- Deputy Operations Director, India's Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), Mangalyaan
- Mission Director of Chandryaan 3
P Veeramuthuvel, Project Director, Chandrayaan-3
- In 2019, P Veeramuthuvel took leadership of the Chandrayaan-3 project. He previously held the position of deputy director at the ISRO headquarters' Space Infrastructure Programme Office.
- Graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras (IIT-M).
S Unnikrishnan Nair, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC)
- B.Tech. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Mar Athanasius College of Engineering affiliated with Kerala University.
- ME in Aerospace Engineering from IISc, Bengaluru.
- PhD in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Madras, Chennai.
A Rajarajan, chairman, Launch Authorisation Board (LAB)
- Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering in 1987.
- Director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR (SDSC SHAR), Sriharikota, principal SpacePort of India.
- A recipient of ISRO Merit award in 2015.
- ISRO Team excellence awards in 2010, 2011 & 2015.
- Member of several professional bodies, namely ISAMPE, AeSI etc.
M Sankaran, Director, U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC)
- Master's degree in Physics from Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli in 1986.
- ISRO's Performance Excellence Award for the Year 2017.
- ISRO Team Excellence awards in 2017 and 2018.
Apart from these, director Mohan Kumar, who is in-charge of the operational aspects of Chandrayaan-3 and Vehicle director Biju C Thomas are also part of the Chandrayaan-3 team.
Chandrayaan 3: Launch Time Today
As per the ISRO’s tweet on July 06, 2023, the launch of Chandrayaan-3 was scheduled for today (July 14, 2023) at 2:35 PM IST. The launch was done from SDSC, Sriharikota. As per the new updates, the launch was successful. To know more updates on Chandrayaan-3 keep checking the Twitter handle of ISRO