After Russia’s disastrous Luna-25 mission, India is on the verge of becoming the first nation to land near the Moon’s south pole with Chandrayaan-3. Chandrayaan-3, which launched on July 14, is scheduled to settle on the Moon at 6:04 p.m. today. As Chandrayaan-3 approaches a critical milestone, let’s take a look at the individuals behind the ambitious moon project.
Meet the talented team behind India’s Chandrayaan-3
ISRO Chairman S. Somanath
ISRO Chairman S. Somanath, a launch vehicle system engineering expert, assisted in the design of the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 rocket that launched Chandrayaan-3 into orbit. Somnath was previously the director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC) and the Liquid Propulsion Systems Center. These organizations are in charge of ISRO’s rocket technology development. He is also in charge of Aditya-L1, India’s first space-based solar project, and Gaganyaan, the country’s first crewed mission.
P Veeramuthuvel, the project director of Chandrayaan-3
P. Veeramuthuvel, an IIT Madras alumni, took over as project director of Chandrayaan-3 in 2019. He has been with ISRO for over three decades. He took over as project director for Chandrayaan-2 from M Vanitha. Vanitha was the first Indian female commander of a lunar expedition. She is the current deputy director of the UR Rao Satellite Center (URSC). Mohan Kumar is the mission director for Chandrayaan-3. He is the Fabrication of Composites Manager at VSSC.
Ritu Karidhal, the ‘rocket woman of India,’ has made significant contributions to the mission
Ritu Karidhal, who is known as the ‘rocket woman of India,’ has made significant contributions to Chandrayaan-3. She formerly worked as the Mangalyaan mission’s deputy director.
Team Chandrayaan-3: Other noteworthy scientists
Other noteworthy scientists are VSSC Director S Unnikrishnan Nair and URSC Director M Sankaran. Nair and his team at VSSC oversee important components of the endeavor. Sankaran heads the URSC team in charge of designing and building India’s satellites. Because of his competence, he is frequently referred to as the “powerhouse of ISRO.”
Chandrayaan-3 project involves as many as 54 women scientists and engineers
While we’ve mentioned the responsibilities of various male scientists, it’s worth noting that the Chandrayaan-3 project involves as many as 54 women scientists/engineers. According to ISRO, these women are “associate and deputy project directors and project managers of various systems.”