Never before has a failure been lauded as a success in our country. Chandrayaan 2 has proved every doomsayer wrong. Today, the entire nation stands solidly behind ISRO scientists, saluting them for their invaluable efforts. Yes, Chandrayaan 2 could not touch the moon. But it went so close to achieving the feat, which is really commendable. Here one has to keep two things in mind. Firstly, so far only four nations have managed to land on the moon and secondly, more than half of such efforts in the past ended abruptly. Moreover, Chandrayaan 2 was supposed to land on the moon’s South Pole, where not many countries have ventured earlier. To its credit, Chandrayaan 2 was about to land on the moon when it lost touch with the ground. It proves that India now possess required knowledge to reach anywhere in space. So there is nothing to be perturbed or to feel ashamed about. Rather, credit should be given to our scientists as they have made India proud.
What went wrong during the last 15 crucial minutes before landing, is for the scientists to study and reconfigure. But notwithstanding the failure, it should be regarded as a giant leap by India in the field of space research. In modern era knowing and exploring space is not a luxury, but a necessity. There is an ongoing space race among developed nations. Now, with Chandrayaan 2 India has also joined the race. It is not an achievement for India alone. It’s a proud moment for all third world nations, who are looked down upon by developed nations. It is a signal to the developed nations that in the coming days their hegemony over the world is certainly going to be challenged by the upcoming countries. The message is loud and clear. Developing nations have already set their eyes on the sky.
We are happy to note that our very own ISRO is going to lead the third world nations in its quest in space. ISRO has already chalked out a well thought plan to unravel the mystery of space. Not many are aware that India’s Mangalyaan has been orbiting Mars since 2014. Next year, ISRO will launch its ambitious plan Aditya 1 to study the sun. Some progress has already been made in this regard and with the help of the efforts being made behind the scene, Aditya 1 will be launched on time. Apart from Aditya 1, ISRO is eyeing Venus and will launch another mission for Mars. More lunar missions are also on the cards. Finally, in the pipeline is the project called Gaganyaan. It will be the first time India will send a man into space.
Clearly from the days when ISRO launched India’s first satellite Aryabhatta, the premier space research organisation of the country has made tremendous progress during the last couple of years. ISRO did not confine itself to satellite launching alone. While putting stress on improvement of communication facilities in the country, ISRO simultaneously worked to make its presence felt in space. Mars Mission and now Chandrayaan 2 stands as a testimony to this fact. Thus the INR 978 crore Chandrayaan 2 project is not a step towards success. Though Vikram has failed to land on the moon, the orbiter is still in space. It will be there for one more year. So it will be able to take several pictures of the moon which will help ISRO prepare for future lunar missions more confidently. So the Prime Minister rightly stated that from now onwards ‘space is our final frontier.’
