Meet ISRO scientist Ritu Karidhal Srivastava, the mastermind behind Chandrayaan-3: Top points

Chandrayaan-3, India's third moon mission, was successfully launched on July 14, at 2:35 PM IST from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. Covering over 300,000 km, it will reach the moon in the coming weeks. As soon as Chandrayan-3 soared up into the skies, a rent of cheer tore through the roof of houses in India.

"Chandrayaan-3 scripts a new chapter in India's space odyssey. It soars high, elevating the dreams and ambitions of every Indian. This momentous achievement is a testament to our scientists' relentless dedication. I salute their spirit and ingenuity!," PM Modi tweeted.

Ritu Karidhal Srivastava, who is popularly known as India's 'rocket woman,' spearheaded the entire mission. She is a senior scientist at ISRO and was the Deputy Operations Director to India's Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), Mangalyaan.

Key things to know about Ritu Karidhal Srivastava:

1. Ritu Karidhal Srivastava, a senior scientist at ISRO and the Deputy Operations Director to India's Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), Mangalyaan, was born and brought up in Lucknow. 
2. A distinguished Scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), she did MSc in Physics from Lucknow University in 1996. She also pursued MTech from the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru.
3. She is known as India's "Rocket Woman" for her work on the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) and other space missions.
4. Ritu Karidhal Srivastava joined ISRO in 1997, and she has received several awards for her work, including the ISRO Young Scientist Award in 2007, the ISRO Team Award for MOM in 2015, the ASI Team Award, and the Women Achievers in Aerospace in 2017.
5. She is a brilliant engineer and a dedicated leader, and she has made significant contributions to India's space program. She is a role model for women in STEM fields, and she is an inspiration to many people around the world.
6. Srivastava has published more than 20 papers in international and national publications, and she has worked on many prestigious missions of ISRO, including: The Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan), The Chandrayaan-1 mission, The Chandrayaan-2 mission, The GSAT-6A mission, The GSAT-7A mission

Also Read: ISRO Chandrayaan-3 launch: LVM3 lifts off successfully, aims to reach Moon by August-end