Momentous journey for India: Bengal Guv on Chandrayaan-3 moon mission

Kolkata: Describing ISRO's moon mission Chandrayaan-3 as a momentous journey for the country, West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Wednesday said India is going to be on top of the world in the field of science and technology.

Bose congratulated scientists of ISRO for making the mission possible. "This is a momentous journey for India. They say sky is the limit, we have gone beyond that. We are now in the space. India is going to be on top of the world in the field of science and technology. “I want to thank the scientists of ISRO. I have spoken to its chief. I want to congratulate them who made this possible," the governor said, addressing a programme at the Raj Bhavan on Wednesday. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had Tuesday said ISRO's hard work was testament of the country's progress, urging all to stand together and cheer for its successful soft landing. "Chandrayaan-3 mission is a matter of pride for the entire nation! The @isro team belongs to India.

Their hard work is a testament of the country's progress which has come from the people, scientists and economists, and not any political entity," she said on X, formerly Twitter. "Scientists from across the country, including Bengal, have greatly contributed to the mission. I applaud the efforts of all those who have worked hard at taking India's lunar exploration to greater heights! With Chandraayan-3 inching closer to reaching the lunar South Pole, we must all stand together and cheer for its successful soft landing!" she added.

If the Chandrayaan-3 mission succeeds in making a touchdown on moon and in landing a robotic lunar rover in ISRO's second attempt in four years, India will become the fourth country to master the technology of soft-landing on the lunar surface after the US, China and the erstwhile Soviet Union. Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 and its objectives are to demonstrate safe and soft-landing on the lunar surface, roving on the Moon, and to conduct in-situ scientific experiments. The Rs 600-crore Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14 onboard Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM-3) rocket, for a 41-day voyage to reach near the lunar south pole