Just when Chandrayaan-3 soft-landed on the moon, ISRO Chairman S. Somnath said "We have successfully soft-landed on the moon. Tell your children that your dream has come true". It was After years of constant efforts and determination, a country like India stands on equal ground with developed nations through the success of the Chandrayaan mission.

Apart from being the fourth country to soft-land on the Moon, India has also achieved the historic feat of being the first country to land a probe on the South Pole of the Moon, a great technological achievement. Chandrayaan-3 achieved the dream of 140 crore people when it touched the moon. As India touched the south pole of the moon, which was inaccessible to probes till now, the country is proudly declaring to the world - that Indians are the masters of the south pole of the moon until someone else reaches it. Even if another spacecraft lands there, India's number one position will always remain a historical record.

Chandrayaan 3, which was launched on Friday, July 14, 2023, landed on the moon on Wednesday, August 23, 2023, making India proud of a scientific achievement that gave hope to mankind. Every discovery made by Chandrayaan-3 on the lunar surface and its atmosphere will provide new knowledge to the entire world and fuel future endeavours. That is why Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while congratulating the scientists on the success of the mission, said, “Victory belongs to mankind. What you hear is the trumpet of development. It's time to go walking on the moonwalk. Thanks to the talent and dedication of scientists, India has reached the South Pole of the Moon, a feat which no other country has achieved before. India has proved again and again that the sky is not the limit."

As the Prime Minister mentioned, the sky is not the end for Indian science. Gaganyaan, the first Indian manned space mission, the first solar probe, Aditya L-1, the 2024 space mission, and the Artemis mission in conjunction with the US, India is aiming for many such missions. Our scientists are working towards a plan to establish India's own space station. Chandrayaan 3’s success gives energy and confidence to all these dreams.

Indian space missions are still viewed with wonder by other nations that have achieved success in this field. The low cost of Indian space ventures has surprised America, Russia and China. While America spends Rs 9900 crore rupees on even a small space mission, India spends only Rs 615 crore on the complex Chandrayaan mission. Therefore, India's service in space projects will be used more by other countries in the future and it will pave the way for the country's economic development. Established in 1962, if ISRO achieves this much by 2023, the organization can still create wonders in the years to come. The US, Russia, China and France, which have advanced far in the field of space, have been very slow in their growth. In comparison, India should be described as taking quantum leaps. India, which is making history in space, still has a lot to solve as a nation. Many of the problems the country is facing are due to the laziness and lack of vigilance of the previous rulers. If terrorism, population growth, non-unification of civil laws, secure borders are urgently addressed and separatists are mainstreamed or isolated, it will not take long for India to rise to the top of world nations. The effective handling of the Kashmir issue is proof that all this is possible for a government with willpower. As predicted by Swami Vivekananda, India has the potential to become a leader in the spiritual, social and political arenas of the world by 2025.

* (Writer is former President of FOKANA and Chairman of NAAM (USA)