The Chandrayaan-3, which is India’s third lunar mission, was successfully launched on July 14, 2023, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) located at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The mission’s Vikram Lander successfully made a soft landing on the Moon on August 23, 2023 at 6:04 PM. With this, India has become the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, joining the likes of the United States, the former Soviet Union and China. India is also the first country to reach the Moon’s south pole.
Where was Chandrayaan-3 launched?
The Chandrayaan-3 was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (formerly Sriharikota Range – SHAR). It is the primary spaceport of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
Satish Dhawan Space Centre: Facts
- The Satish Dhawan Space Centre is one of the main centres of ISRO, which provides launch base infrastructure for various launch vehicle/ satellite missions.
- The centre has two functioning launch pads used for launching sounding rockets, polar and geosynchronous satellites.
- ISRO has commissioned an open visitor gallery at this space centre in Sriharikota. It can accommodate over 10,000 people to witness the launch in the open area.
- There is a space theme park, which is not completely ready. It has key attractions such as a rocket garden, a launch view gallery and a space museum. Only the launch view gallery and a space museum are accessible to the public.
Who can visit Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR) at Sriharikota?
Visitors such as students, academicians etc. can experience guided tours at the space centre to know about space technology and its applications. Citizens can register on the SHAR website to witness the rocket launches from the viewing gallery.
To visit the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, a request must be submitted online through the ISRO’s official website https://www.isro.gov.in/
How to reach Sriharikota?
- By air: The Chennai Airport and the Tirupati Airport are the nearest airports from the location.
- By rail: The Sullurupeta Railway Station in Andhra Pradesh is the nearest railway station.
- By road: The Satish Dhawan Space Centre is located on the National Highway-16, which connects Chennai and Kolkata. It is accessible by buses and other modes of public transport.
Sriharikota is a barrier island and falls under the Tirupati district in Andhra Pradesh.
ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 mission
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft was launched as part of ISRO’s Chandrayaan programme aimed to demonstrate soft landing on the lunar south pole. On August 5, 2023, the launch vehicle successfully put the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft into orbit around the Moon.
The space hardware for the Moon mission was produced at L&T’s Aerospace Manufacturing Facility at Coimbatore.
See also: Landmark projects by Larsen & Toubro
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