CNN Central News & Network–ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: I am pleased to inform you that our country is set to celebrate its first National Space Day on August 23, 2024, marking the successful soft landing of ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 mission’s Vikram Lander on the Moon’s South Pole last year, making India the first country in the world to achieve this feat.
To commemorate this historic occasion, the Regional Science Centre, Bhopal, in collaboration with the Space Applications Centre (SAC), the Master Control Facility (MCF), and the ISRO Centre, Bhopal, organized a series of educational programs from August 12 to 13, 2024, for school/college students and the general public.
The celebration began with the unveiling of an exhibition designed by ISRO, showcasing India’s remarkable achievements in space exploration using indigenous technologies and research. The inauguration ceremony was graced by the presence of Manish M. Mehta, Group Director of the Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad, Shailendra Kumar, Group Director of MCF, Javed SAR Qureshi, Group Head of MCF, Umesh Kumar, Director of Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai, and Saket Singh Kaurav, Project Coordinator of the Regional Science Centre, Bhopal. Following the inauguration, an interactive program titled “Meet the Scientists” was held with Manish M. Mehta from the Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad, where he shed light on India’s indigenous satellite design and operations under the theme “Chandrayaan Mission”.
Additionally, three competitions were organized: a poster-making competition for school students, a water rocketry competition for higher secondary students, and a robotics mission competition for diploma/BSc/BTech/BE students. Approximately 200 students participated in the poster-making competition, 25 teams took part in the water rocketry competition, and a total of 6 teams competed in the robotics mission competition.
The meritorious participants in these competitions will be honored at the National Space Day program’s closing ceremony on August 13, 2024.