The chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), S Somanath, revealed that a delegation of NASA scientists expressed astonishment at the sophisticated technologies developed by Indian space scientists at a low cost for the Chandrayaan-3 mission. The NASA scientists visited the ISRO headquarters and were impressed by the scientific instruments, which they considered beautiful, easy to build, and high-tech. They even inquired about the possibility of India selling these technologies to the United States. Somanath expressed confidence in India’s capabilities and stated that the country will become a powerful nation in technology.
During a speech at an event commemorating the birth anniversary of former President APJ Abdul Kalam, Somanath shared his conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding India’s achievement of landing on the lunar south pole. PM Modi congratulated him and asked about the timeline for the next Indian mission to the Moon. Somanath assured the audience that, in the future, India will send an astronaut, most likely a girl child, to the Moon, and he encouraged students to pursue careers in space exploration.
Somanath also mentioned the positive response from international space agencies, including NASA, regarding the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. He highlighted that the recognition from these agencies signifies India’s growing influence and potential to become a powerful nation in the space sector. Somanath paid tribute to Kalam, stating that he was fortunate to work with the former President during his time at ISRO and mentioned Kalam’s encouragement to continue trying despite failures.
