The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has been awarded the prestigious Leif Ericsson Lunar Prize 2023 by the Husavik Museum. ISRO has been given this award for its significant contribution in advancing lunar exploration and unraveling astronomical mysteries, especially through the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission.
Annual Awards
The Leif Ericsson Lunar Award is an annual award given by the Exploration Museum since 2015. It is named after Leif Ericsson. He is a Norse explorer, believed to be the first European to set foot on continental America, approximately four centuries before the expedition of Christopher Columbus.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission
'Chandrayaan-3' was launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on July 13. It was launched using LVM3 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota. It consisted of lander (Vikram) and rover (Pragyan). Chandrayaan-3 consisted of an indigenous Lander Module (LM), Propulsion Module (PM) and a Rover, intended to develop and demonstrate new technologies required for interplanetary missions. Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed on the surface of the Moon near the south pole on August 23, 2023. India became the fourth country after the United States, China and Russia to successfully land on the Moon. The mission not only demonstrated technical prowess but also signaled success after the disappointment of Chandrayaan-2's crash landing four years ago.
Success of Chandrayaan-3
After landing, the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover performed various tasks on the lunar surface, including detecting the presence of sulfur and other elements, recording relative temperatures, and monitoring lunar activities. The success of Chandrayaan-3 has further strengthened India's position in lunar exploration.