Produced by: Tarun Mishra
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is preparing to celebrate India's first "National Space Day" on August 23, commemorating the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission.
On August 23, 2023, ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 achieved a historic landing on the Moon's south pole, making India the first country to accomplish this feat.
Following the success of the Vikram lander, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared August 23 as "National Space Day" to be celebrated annually.
ISRO Chairman Dr. S Somanath has invited all citizens to participate in various activities organized by ISRO and to join the nationwide celebrations of this significant achievement.
ISRO announced on X (formerly Twitter) that the historic landing will be celebrated every year, encouraging citizens to partake in the events.
On August 23, ISRO will also organize the Bharatiya Antariksh Hackathon, focusing on geospatial domains, space science, image processing, and AI/ML.
The hackathon is open to undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD students across the country. Initially, 100 teams will be chosen based on their ideation and problem-solving approaches, with 30 teams shortlisted for the Grand Finale.
The Grand Finale of the hackathon will be a 30-hour event held at the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) in Hyderabad on August 13 and 14, aiming to foster innovation in space-based applications.
As part of the maiden National Space Day celebrations, ISRO plans several pan-India outreach activities and public engagements to encourage participation and awareness in space science and technology.