Chandrayaan-3: ISRO Chairman On Why It 'Matters So Much To Us To Land This Time Safely'. WATCH

ISRO Chairman S Somanath said that Chandrayaan-3 is important because the Chandrayaan series has made groundbreaking discoveries.

The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO’s) Chairman S Somanath on Wednesday, August 23, expressed his thoughts on why it “matters so much” for India to land a spacecraft softly and safely on the Moon this time. On September 7, 2019, Chandrayaan-2’s Vikram lander crashed on the lunar surface while attempting lunar touchdown. Chandrayaan-3 is scheduled to land on the Moon’s south pole on August 23 at 6:04 pm IST. “Watch it, support it and make sure your contribution in terms of cheering up the spirit of India for this landing to happen successfully because it matters so much to us to land this time safely,” the ISRO Chief told National Geographic. 

He also said that Chandrayaan-3 is important because the Chandrayaan series has made groundbreaking discoveries. Chandrayaan-1’s Moon Impact Probe confirmed the presence of water on the Moon, and Chandrayaan-2’s orbiter obtained high resolution images of the Moon, the ISRO Chief explained.

“We corroborated the findings of the Chandrayaan-1 with Chandrayaan-2 measurements. So, Chandrayaan-3 is similar to Chandrayaan-2, but with an intent of soft-landing,” Somanath added.

A special live feature ahead of Chandrayaan-3’s landing on the Moon began at 4 pm IST on the National Geographic Channel and Disney+Hotstar. In this event, Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian in space, American astronaut Sunita Williams, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield, and other personalities from the space community can be seen giving their insights on Chandrayaan-3.

Gaurav Kapoor and eminent space experts are hosting the show.

If Chandrayaan-3 successfully lands on the lunar south polar, India will become the first country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon's south pole.