New Delhi, July 14: The top Indian leadership and politicians cutting across party lines on Friday hailed the launch of ISRO’s ambitious third lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling it a “new chapter” in the country’s space odyssey which has elevated the dreams and ambitions of every Indian.
President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Modi, several ministers, opposition leaders, including Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and former AICC chief Rahul Gandhi, lauded ISRO’s feat.
The Congress praised scientists for the successful launch of Chandrayaan-3 and said it was testimony to the vision, foresight, determination and accomplishment of all previous prime ministers, including Indira Gandhi, P V Narasimha Rao and Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
President Murmu said India’s successful launching of Chandrayaan-3 marks another significant milestone in space exploration besides demonstrating the nation’s unwavering commitment to advancement in space science and technology.
Vice President Dhankhar also congratulated the ISRO on the successful launch, saying this “extraordinary feat” highlights the advancement made by India in space science and research.
Hailing the launch as a “new chapter” in India’s space odyssey, Modi said it has elevated the dreams and ambitions of every Indian.
“Chandrayaan-3 scripts a new chapter in India’s space odyssey. It soars high, elevating the dreams and ambitions of every Indian. This momentous achievement is a testament to our scientists’ relentless dedication. I salute their spirit and ingenuity!” the Prime Minister tweeted.
Ahead of the launch, Modi said the Chandrayaan-3 mission will carry the hopes and dreams of our nation.
Till Chandrayaan-1, the moon was believed to be a bone-dry, geologically inactive and uninhabitable celestial body while it is now seen as a dynamic and geologically active body with the presence of water and subsurface ice, he said on Twitter.
Maybe in the future, it can be potentially inhabited, the prime minister added.
In his reaction to the successful lift-off, Kharge said the launch was a matter of great pride for all Indians.
Lauding scientists, Rahul Gandhi said, “Today, more than a billion of us look to the sky, beaming with pride.” “Chandrayaan-3 is the fruit of decades of labour by the scientific community since the launch of India’s space programme in 1962, followed by the creation of ISRO in 1969. The success of this mission will make us only the fourth nation to land a spacecraft on the surface of the moon. A truly incredible feat! Congratulations to the entire team at ISRO,” Gandhi said in a tweet.
Taking to Twitter, Kharge said,”Our collective happiness is over the moon. Thanks to the tremendous ingenuity, dedication, skill and hard work of our scientists, engineers and everyone involved in the successful launch…”.
The Congress chief said India’s lunar missions began with Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 which confirmed the presence of water molecules on the moon. “It was a historic feat by our country”.
“Today, Chandrayaan-3 is a testimony to the vision, foresight, determination and accomplishment of all our previous prime ministers, including Pandit Nehru ji, Lal Bahadur Shastri ji, Indira Gandhi ji, P V Narasimha Rao ji, Rajiv Gandhi ji, Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji and Manmohan Singh ji.”
“It is our sincere tribute to Dr Vikram Sarabhai and Dr Satish Dhawan and countless visionary scientists who devoted their lives to establish and inculcate scientific temper for human and social development for our people,” he tweeted. (PTI)
