Jaishankar Extends Gratitude to ISRO for Leif Erikson Lunar Prize as Chandrayaan Earns Additional Accolades

Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar offered his congratulations to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday for being honored with the prestigious Leif Erikson Lunar Prize. Jaishankar expressed his admiration for ISRO’s achievement on social media, stating, “Congratulations @isro for the 2023 Leif Erikson Lunar Prize. Chandrayaan brings more laurels to the nation.”

In a significant recognition of India’s space capabilities, ISRO received the esteemed Leif Erikson Lunar Prize from the Husavik Museum in Iceland. The award acknowledges ISRO’s unwavering commitment and determination in advancing lunar exploration, particularly through the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission.

The Indian Embassy in Iceland shared the news on social media, stating, “Leif Erikson Lunar Prize has been awarded by Husavik Museum for @ISRO’s indomitable spirit in advancing lunar exploration & contributing to understanding celestial mysteries #Chandrayaan3.” Indian Ambassador Balasubramanian Shyam accepted the prestigious prize on behalf of ISRO, with a message from ISRO Chairman Mr S. Somanath.

Chandrayaan-3’s successful landing on the moon’s South Pole on August 23 marked a historic achievement, making India the fourth nation, after the United States, China, and Russia, to achieve a successful lunar landing. The mission not only showcased technological prowess but also signaled redemption after the disappointment of the Chandrayaan-2 crash landing four years earlier.

Post-landing, the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover conducted various tasks on the lunar surface, contributing to scientific knowledge by detecting elements like sulfur and recording relative temperatures, and monitoring lunar activities. The success of Chandrayaan-3 further solidified India’s position in lunar exploration.

Following the lunar triumph, India swiftly moved ahead with its inaugural solar mission, Aditya-L1, launched on September 2. The spacecraft successfully completed multiple maneuvers, including four earth-bound maneuvers and a crucial Trans-Lagrangean Point 1 Insertion (TL1I) maneuver, enabling it to escape Earth’s sphere of influence.

In a recent development, Chandrayaan-3’s Propulsion Module (PM) achieved another milestone by transitioning from lunar orbit to Earth’s orbit. ISRO shared the achievement, stating, “Chandrayaan-3 Mission: Ch-3’s Propulsion Module (PM) takes a successful detour! In another unique experiment, the PM is brought from Lunar orbit to Earth’s orbit. An orbit-raising maneuver and a Trans-Earth injection maneuver placed PM in an Earth-bound orbit.”