India’s Chandrayaan-3 Mission Deserves Praise, Says NASA Administrator
Mumbai: NASA administrator Bill Nelson praised India for its successful Chandrayaan-3 mission, stating that the country deserves every bit of praise for the accomplishment.
“India has done something that no other country has done. You have landed first around the south pole of the moon. Others have tried, and others have failed. But India was successful. You deserve every bit of praise for this accomplishment. It’s very significant,” Nelson said while speaking to reporters in Mumbai on Friday.
Nelson also mentioned the NISAR mission, a joint Earth-observing mission between NASA and ISRO, which will help researchers explore how changes in Earth’s forest and wetland ecosystems are affecting the global carbon cycle and influencing climate change. NISAR, equipped with advanced radar systems, will scan nearly all of Earth’s land and ice surfaces twice every 12 days, providing key data for understanding ecosystem functions.
The NASA administrator highlighted the collaborative efforts between NASA and ISRO, stating that NISAR is being prepared in Bangalore at ISRO, with the rocket provided by the Indian Space Agency.
Nelson also discussed NASA’s upcoming moon mission, emphasizing the opportunities for expanded commercial investment and the participation of international partners, including a plan to have an international crew on the first mission with astronauts to the moon.
During his visit to India, Nelson also visited the UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) in Bengaluru, where the NISAR satellite is undergoing testing before its scheduled launch in 2024, and had an interaction with students of the Visvesvaraya Industrial & Technological Museum (VITM) in Bengaluru.
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