India is set to celebrate its first National Space Day today, commemorating the successful soft landing of Chandrayaan-3's Vikram Lander on the Moon on August 23, 2023.
To honor this achievement, the Indian government has officially declared August 23 as National Space Day.
Here’s a look at what India’s space program has been up to since Chandrayaan-3:
Aditya-L1: Launched on September 2, 2023, this mission aims to study the solar atmosphere and advance our understanding of the Sun.
Gaganyaan TV-D1: On October 21, 2023, ISRO conducted its first abort test using a modified L-40 Vikas engine, as part of the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission.
XPoSat: This mission, launched on January 1, 2024, is India’s first dedicated polarimetry mission, designed to study X-ray sources in extreme conditions.
INSAT-3DS: Launched on February 17, 2024, this mission was crucial for testing the vehicle before the upcoming NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission, expected to launch in early 2025.
RLV-TD: ISRO tested its Reusable Launch Vehicle, Pushpak, with two landing experiments (LEX-02 and LEX-03) on March 22 and June 7, 2024, at the Aeronautical Testing Range in Challakere, Karnataka.
Meanwhile, ISRO has been focused on training astronaut-candidates, or Gaganyatris, for the Gaganyaan mission.
Additionally, ISRO Chairman Somanath has announced plans to build an Indian space station, the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), by 2035.