Houston, Sep 20 (PTI): Texas-based Foundation for India Studies in association with Consulate General of India in Houston commemorated the remarkable achievement of India's Chandrayaan-3 mission at an event here.

At this exclusive event held on Saturday, FIS celebrated India's historic moon landing on the uncharted south side of the moon. The event highlighted the immense contributions of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to the field of space exploration.

The Foundation for India Studies (FIS) is a non-profit organisation with a vision to promote knowledge about India's contribution to the world in the field of languages, literature, arts, sciences, engineering, politics, economics and spirituality.

D C Manjunath, Consul General of India in Houston, who presided over the event, highlighted the profound significance of India's historic moon landing.

“Government of India has designated the day of the moon landing, August 23, as National Space Day,” Manjunath said.

“In addition to the Mangalyaan, Chandrayaan and Gaganyaan missions, India has ambitious plans to explore the depths of the ocean floor under its upcoming Samudrayaan'mission, set to launch later this year," he told the packed audience.

Krunal Joshi, Counsellor, Space at the Indian Embassy in Washington, D C and ISRO Representative in the United States, addressed the audience through a live video link from Washington DC. He took the audience on a journey through ISRO's decades-long space odyssey, from its humble beginnings to its current successes.

Joshi paid tribute to Dr Vikram Sarabhai's visionary leadership and shared a presentation titled "From BHARAT TO THE MOON".

Dr Kamlesh Lulla, NASA Senior Scientist, delivered a captivating presentation titled "NASA (USA) and ISRO (INDIA) Partnership for Global Good".

Dr Lulla represented NASA and congratulated ISRO on this historic landing. He shed light on the historical agreements between ISRO and NASA and showed historic photo of Dr Sarabhai and NASA's Acting Administrator, Dr Thomas O Payne, signing Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) in the early days of ISRO.

Dr Lulla described NASA's Artemis Lunar Exploration programme and discussed NASA's Artemis Accords which are agreements to join NASA in peaceful exploration of the lunar south pole. In June 2023, the Indian Ambassador signed the accord on the margins of the Indian Prime Minister's visit to the White House.

Welcoming the guests, Krishna Vavilala, FIS founder and chairman said, “The FIS applauds India's remarkable achievement in lunar exploration and looks forward to the scientific discoveries and technological advancements that will undoubtedly arise from Chandrayaan-3's historic mission.” “The Chandrayaan-3 mission, driven by a thirst for knowledge about our celestial neighbor, reached a new pinnacle of human exploration with its successful landing on the Moon's South Polar Region, an area previously unexplored due to its unique challenges. This historic endeavour promises to unveil critical insights into the Moon's enigmatic past and the origins of our Solar System,” Vavilala said. PTI SHK SCY SCY

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