Today on the 23rd of August, India is celebrating its maiden national space day. The decision had been announced earlier by the Indian Prime Minister as on this very day a year ago India successfully reached the moon. We became the first country to do a soft landing on the South Pole and fourth on the moon overall with the successful completion of ISRO’s Chandrayan 3 mission on 23 Aug, 2023.
The day is celebrated not only to commemorate this landmark achievement but for an indebted nation to pay tributes to its prestigious space agency and scientists.
The theme for this year’s edition is, “Touching Lives while Touching the Moon: India’s Space Saga.”
To mark the occasion, the Government of India launched a month-long campaign to showcase the achievements of India’s space missions and to inspire the youth. Bharat Mandapam hosted a grand event as well which was attended by the President of India, Minister Dr Jitendra Singh and ISRO Chairman S Somanath.
National Space Day Celebrations – A special focus on the youth:
Some activities organised by ISRO included a collaboration with Vijnana Bharati, a platform dedicated to promoting scientific knowledge and awareness, and they started a unique initiative called “Space on Wheels” wherein mobile exhibition buses travelled various universities and colleges.
ISRO’s Space Tutors, around 120 of them, organized outreach events such as talks, quizzes, and exhibitions across the country, aiming to promote space education and raise awareness about space activities and applications.
The Bharatiya Antariksh Hackathon 2024 was another key feature of the celebrations, aiming to discover innovative ideas and solutions. This national-level hackathon by ISRO presented students with various problem statements, encouraging them to develop creative solutions. Exceptional students from the finale will be offered internships at ISRO centres and top three winners of the hackathon had the opportunity to showcase their applications today.
With the tagline “Let’s Build a Space Robot,” the ISRO Robotics challenge offered students a chance to engage in space robotics. They were tasked with creating robots addressing real-world space robotics challenges.
Thus, the activities and events in the lead up to today’s celebration are a testament that the focus is on the youth of the country, as was even noted by the President during the event at Bharat Mandapam. The government and ISRO hope to inspire students and young people across the country and truly aim for the moon!
