ISRO has received the esteemed Leif Erikson Lunar Prize from Iceland’s Husavik Exploration Museum, for its successful soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 near the lunar south pole. The award commends ISRO’s relentless pursuit of lunar exploration and its contributions to unravelling celestial mysteries, as stated by the Embassy of India in Reykjavik.
Expressing gratitude, ISRO Chairman S Somanath conveyed a “thank you” video message, and the award was accepted on behalf of the space agency by Ambassador B Shyam.
Established in 2015, the Leif Erikson Award is an annual accolade from the Exploration Museum, named after the Norse explorer believed to be the first European on continental America, pre-dating Christopher Columbus by almost four centuries.
Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission and the second attempt at a soft landing, achieved a historic milestone on August 23. The Vikram lander successfully touched down on the moon’s South Pole, making India the fourth nation, after the United States, China, and Russia, to accomplish a successful lunar landing. This triumph showcased not only technological prowess but also marked redemption after the Chandrayaan-2 crash landing four years earlier.
Following the successful landing, the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover conducted various tasks on the lunar surface, including detecting sulphur and other elements, recording relative temperature, and monitoring lunar activities. This success further solidified India’s position in lunar exploration. Subsequently, India swiftly progressed with its inaugural solar mission, Aditya-L1, launched on September 2.
The Aditya-L1 spacecraft underwent multiple maneuvers, including earth-bound maneuvers and the crucial Trans-Lagrangean Point 1 Insertion (TL1I) maneuver, allowing it to escape Earth’s sphere of influence. In a recent achievement, the Propulsion Module (PM) of Chandrayaan-3 transitioned from lunar orbit to Earth’s orbit, marking another significant step in India’s space exploration journey.