Over the Moon: A story of ISRO's perseverance and triumph with Chandrayaan-3

On the night of 23rd August, 2023, the Earth seemed to gleam a touch brighter, for one of our own was on the Moon. India's saga of self-reliance and global eminence soared to unprecedented heights with the landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon. This achievement makes us the first nation to reach the lunar south pole and the fourth to touch the moon's surface with a robotic craft. Yet, beyond the laurels, the journey of Chandrayaan-3 encapsulates ISRO's resolute spirit, the brilliance of our scientific minds, and the unwavering faith of billions of Indians. It stands for daring to dream despite setbacks and faltered endeavors, and fulfilling it. It’s a lesson for the world, that impossible is nothing, only when you give your everything to achieve it.

It feels like a cinematic masterpiece — from transporting rocket parts on a bicycle and bullock cart to finally landing on the moon. This is surely one of the finest stories of adaptability, resilience and belief that the world will ever witness.

The sight of “Pragyaan” rover rolling out of the Vikram lander was also reminiscent of the painful visuals of our team breaking down in tears in 2019 when Chandrayaan-2 crashed. However, there is a powerful lesson here for all of us to learn - that of learning from our mistakes of the past, of persevering despite the hardships, staying focused with a tunnel vision, and most importantly preparing for the worst - all coming from an institution which makes us thump our chests with pride - the Indian Space Research Organization. They made the most of their resources to take another shot at success and ended up creating history. Most importantly, this success is a result of our undying belief. Belief, not just of a team of Indian scientists but of more than a billion Indians who secretly hoped that when the time comes, we’ll be ready to shine brighter than the brightest star in the sky. Chandrayaan-3 is a celebration of human spirit.?

Moon is just a stop over for us, as we are geared up to reach the stars. Well done everyone. This win belongs to all of us.