Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called on President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. In a picture posted on social media, Murmu was seen welcoming the PM with a bouquet. Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), the President's office posted, “Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President welcomed him with a bouquet and expressed compliments for the success of India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission.”
Lauding the country's moon mission earlier, President Murmu said that it was a stepping stone for India's future programmes. “The Indian Space Research Organisation keeps scaling new heights and setting higher benchmarks of excellence. This year, ISRO launched Chandrayaan-3, and its lander named ‘Vikram’ and its rover named ‘Pragyan’ are slated to land on the moon in the next few days. It will be a proud moment for all of us and I look forward to it,” Murmu said.
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{{/usCountry}}“For their work in space and also on earth, our scientists and technologists are bringing laurels to the country,” she added.
In the latest development, the Chandrayaan 3 took its first seismic readings on the moon, detecting the mild rumble of not just the rover but also what appeared to be a “natural event” on the moon. “Instrument for the Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) payload on Chandrayaan 3 Lander -- the first Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology-based instrument on the moon -- has recorded the movements of rover and other payloads. Additionally, it has recorded an event appearing to be a natural one on August 26, 2023. The source of this event is under investigation,” said a post by the Indian Space Research Organisation on X (formerly Twitter).
Chandrayaan 3 took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre Launch Pad in Sriharikota at 2.35 p.m. on July 14. It is currently studying the south pole of the moon - an area that was not explored by any other country until now.