Chennai (Tamil Nadu): India should not lag behind when Lunar colonies are set up and establishing space stations on the moon become a reality in the near future. The country should be part of such efforts and the Chandrayaan-3 Lunar Mission is a step in that direction besides enhancing our capability for manned moon missions, says former ISRO scientist Mayisamy Annadurai.
Annadurai was the man behind Chandraayan and Mangalyan missions. He described the Chandraayan series as a technology demonstrator which has huge commercial spin offs.
Also read: Chandrayaan-3 scripts a new chapter in nation's space odyssey, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday afternoon successfully launched its third Lunar Mission Chandrayaan-3 on-board the heavylift LVM3-M4 rocket at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
"In carrying out the Chandraayan series, India is not only getting a step closer to manned Lunar Missions but also expands the scope of exploring more about the availability of water and mineral resources. The South Pole of the moon where the present landing is planned has a great scientific and strategic value. It has been chosen, keeping in mind all these aspects," said Annadurai.
According to the former ISRO scientist, the successful method of the launch vehicle orbiting earth and then being pushed to the lunar orbit through manoeuvres was employed in the Mangalyan mission too. "This is cost-effective unlike the Apollo series of the United States which took only eight days for landing on the moon and returning to earth," he said.
Countering the criticism whether India, which still has a vast sections remaining under poverty should undertake such missions, he said it was misplaced. "At ISRO, we are earning more than what we spend through commercial launches and in advancing our scientific and technological know-how," he added.
Also read: Chandrayaan-3 has began its journey towards moon: ISRO chief
