Hours before moon lander ‘Vikram’ touches down on lunar south pole, Prime Minister Narendra Modoi on Friday said the mission manifests the best of Indian talent and spirit of tenacity. “Its success will benefit crores of Indians,” he said in a series of tweets. The prime minister will be at the ISRO Centre in Bengaluru to witness the “extraordinary moment in the history of India’s space programme”. “The moment 130 crore Indians were enthusiastically waiting for is here! In a few hours from now, the final descent of Chandrayaan – 2 will take place on the Lunar South Pole. India, and the rest of the world will yet again see the exemplary prowess of our space scientists,” he said. Youngsters from different states will also be present to watch the special moment. There would also be youngsters from Bhutan, he said. “The youngsters with whom I will watch the special moments from the ISRO Centre in Bengaluru are those bright minds who won the ISRO Space Quiz on MyGov (web portal). The large scale participation in this quiz showcases the interest of the youth in science and space. This is a great sign,” Modi said. The prime minister has been “regularly and enthusiastically” tracking all updates relating to Chandrayaan-2 since it was launched on July 22 this year. “This Mission manifests the best of Indian talent and spirit of tenacity. Its success will benefit crores of Indians. I urge you all to watch the special moments of Chandrayaan-2 descending on to the Lunar South Pole! Do share your photos on social media. I will re-tweet some of them too. The crucial landing of ‘Vikram’, Chandrayaan-2’s moon lander, will be carried out by at least eight onboard equipment in a coordinated manner. ‘Vikram’ with rover ‘Pragyaan’ housed inside is scheduled for a powered-descent between 1 am and 2 am on Saturday, followed by its touchdown between 1.30 am and 2.30 am.
