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The Chandrayaan-3 mission will carry the hopes and dreams of our nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday, lauding Indian scientists hours before the launch of India's third lunar mission.
Till Chandrayaan-1, the moon was believed to be a bone-dry, geologically inactive and uninhabitable celestial body while it is now seen as a dynamic and geologically active body with the presence of water and sub-surface ice, he said on Twitter.
Maybe in the future, it can be potentially inhabited, the prime minister added.
Modi tweeted, "14th July 2023 will always be etched in golden letters as far as India's space sector is concerned. Chandrayaan-3, our third lunar mission, will embark on its journey."
He noted that Chandrayaan-3 will be inserted into the lunar transfer trajectory after the orbit raising manoeuvres.
Covering over 300,000 km, it will reach the moon in the coming weeks. Scientific instruments onboard will study the moon's surface and enhance our knowledge, he said.
"Thanks to our scientists, India has a very rich history in the space sector. Chandrayaan-1 is considered to be a path breaker among global lunar missions as it confirmed the presence of water molecules on the moon. It featured in over 200 scientific publications around the world," Modi said.
Giving details of the history of India's moon mission, the prime minister said Chandrayaan-2 was equally pathbreaking because data from the Orbiter associated with it detected the presence of chromium, manganese and sodium for the first time through remote sensing.
"This will also provide more insights into the moon's magmatic evolution.
"The key scientific outcomes from Chandrayaan 2 include the first ever global map for lunar sodium, enhancing knowledge on crater size distribution, unambiguous detection of lunar surface water ice with IIRS instrument and more. This Mission has featured in almost 50 publications," he said.
Modi urged people to know more about this mission and the strides India has made made in space, science and innovation. "It will make you all very proud," he added.