The successful landing of Chandrayaan 3 at the moon’s South Pole on August 23 became a moment of pride for every Indian. The feat is monumental for space and women’s workforce, especially in STEM.
From Dr Ritu Karidhal, who is the mission director of India’s lunar odyssey to Kalpana K, deputy director of the project, the moon mission that made India among the few countries with a spacecraft on the Earth’s natural satellite illustrated Nari Shakti. The historic mission makes India the only country to reach the dark side of the moon.
After the mission’s success, reports quoted Kalpana as saying, “This will remain the most memorable moment for all of us…from the day we started rebuilding our spacecraft after the Chandrayaan 2 experience, it has been breathe in-breathe out Chandrayaan 3 for the team.”
Around 54 women scientists/ engineers were part of the core team of Chandrayaan 3. Making every aspect of the mission foolproof, the women were an integral part of the project for several months.
And as the landing was a huge success, the live relay of the center in ISRO panned to the gleeful faces of women scientists adorning sarees with euphoric smiles and exchanging congratulatory messages with each other.
News reports shared insights into their contribution. They revealed that women scientists at SAC-ISRO converted the entire lunar surface into smaller grids and mapped it perfectly so that the lander while approaching the spot, could assess if it had any major pits.
