Will carry the hopes and dreams of our nation: PM Modi on Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that July 14 will be etched in memory forever as Chandrayaan-3, ISRO's lunar mission is set to be launched on Friday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

"Best wishes for Chandrayaan-3 mission! I urge you all to know more about this Mission and the strides we have made in space, science and innovation. It will make you all very proud," the Prime Minister tweeted.

"14th July 2023 will always be etched in golden letters as far as India's space sector is concerned. Chandrayaan-3, our third lunar mission, will embark on its journey. This remarkable mission will carry the hopes and dreams of our nation," PM Modi said in a series of tweets.

Chandrayaan-3 will be inserted into the Lunar Transfer Trajectory after the orbit raising maneuvers. Covering over 3,00,000 km, it will reach the Moon in the coming weeks. Scientific instruments onboard will study the Moon's surface and enhance our knowledge, he tweeted further.

"Thanks to our scientists, India has a very rich history in the space sector. Chandrayaan-1 is considered to be a path breaker among global lunar missions as it confirmed the presence of water molecules on the moon. It featured in over 200 scientific publications around the world," PM Modi added.

"Till Chandrayaan-1, the moon was believed to be a bone-dry, geologically inactive and uninhabitable celestial body. Now, it is seen as a dynamic and geologically active body with the presence of water and sub-surface ice. Maybe in the future, it can be potentially inhabited!" the Prime Minister tweeted further.

He informed that Chandrayaan-2 was equally pathbreaking because data from the Orbiter associated with it detected the presence of chromium, manganese and sodium for the first time through remote sensing.

This will also provide more insights into the moon's magmatic evolution, the Prime Minister added.

"The key scientific outcomes from Chandrayaan 2 include the first ever global map for lunar sodium, enhancing knowledge on crater size distribution, unambiguous detection of lunar surface water ice with IIRS instrument and more. This Mission has featured in almost 50 publications," Modi tweeted.