From agony to ecstasy: How Chandrayaan-2 failure inspired ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 journey to success

There was an atmosphere of ecstasy, joy and celebration at ISRO's Mission Operations Complex here, as the country's third Moon mission Chandrayaan-3's lander module successfully made a touchdown on the lunar surface on Wednesday evening.

It was in a way a 'journey' from agony to ecstasy -- the emotions could not have been more starker. When the Chandayaan-2's lander crash-landed on the Moon's surface nearly four years ago, failing in its mission to achieve a touchdown, ISRO scientists were crestfallen.

But on Wednesday, when its successor made a soft landing on the lunar surface, the mood was predictably exuberant.

Celebrations broke out at the Mission Operations Complex (MOX) here, where space scientists were watching the much-anticipated event with bated breath as Chandrayaan-3's lander made a touchdown on the surface of the Moon.

Jubilant scenes were witnessed as the scientists and technical staff chanted 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' (Victory to Mother India), 'Vande Mataram' and 'India-India'. Many scientists and technical teams associated with ISRO could not contain their emotions as tears rolled down their cheeks.

The MOX located at the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) reverberated with loud cheers and thunderous applause as the confirmation came in about the lander Vikram making a touchdown near the south pole of the moon.

Joyful ISRO team members were seen shaking hands, exchanging congratulatory hugs, clapping, raising their hands in the air and waving victory signs. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who joined ISRO virtually from Johannesburg in South Africa, where he is attending BRICS summit, was seen clapping and then waving the national flag with a big smile on his face.

ISRO Chief S Somanath immediately taking over the mikes said, "Adaraneeya Pradhan Mantri ji (Respected PM) Namaskar! Sir, we have achieved a soft landing on the moon. India is on the Moon."

This happened even as the celebrations continued at the centre, with loud cheers and clapping by the ISRO team. Addressing the ISRO team, PM Modi said, "India is now on the Moon and the success of the lunar mission has sounded the bugle for the emergence of a developed nation."

In his virtual address, he further said, "We are witness to the new flight of new India. A new history has been written."

Later, Project Director of Chandrayaan-3 P Veeramuthuvel, Director of U R Rao Satellite Centre M Sankaran, Chandrayaan-3 Mission Director M Srikanth, and Associate Project Director of Chandrayaan-3 Kalpana Kalahasti addressed the team, and credited the combined effort of the entire team in the past four years for the successful mission.

They said the entire mission operations of Chandrayaan-3, right from launch till landing, "happened flawlessly" as per the timeline. The ebullience at the ISRO centre was in sharp contrast to the atmosphere there four years ago, when the soft landing of Chandrayaan-2's lander did not go according to plan, as it lost contact with the ground station.

A pall of gloom had decided on the centre, with the heartbroken ISRO scientists and officials looking crestfallen. Prime Minister Modi was personally present at the ISRO centre at the time. After giving the scientists a a pep talk, Modi on that day gave a tight long hug to an emotional K Sivan who was the ISRO chief at the time.

The space agency head was in tears, unable to come to terms with Chandrayaan-2 mission's unsuccessful bid to soft land on the Moon. Modi, in his address at the ISRO centre, had asked the scientists not to get disheartened by the hurdles in the lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 and asserted that there will be a "new dawn".

He had also said that the country's determination to land on the Moon had become even stronger. Chandrayaan-2 had failed in its lunar phase when its lander 'Vikram' crashed into the surface of the Moon minutes before the touch down following anomalies in the braking system in the lander while attempting a landing on September 7, 2019.

Chandrayaan's maiden mission was in 2008, and its objective was to place an unmanned spacecraft. Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 and its objectives are to demonstrate safe and soft-landing on the lunar surface, roving on the Moon, and to conduct in-situ scientific experiments.

READ | Why Chandrayaan-3 lander is named 'Vikram', rover is named 'Pragyan'? Reason explained