Name of Chandrayaan-3 landing point gets green signal, IAU approves

PM Modi had announced on 26 August 2023 that the landing site of Chandrayaan-3 will be named 'Shiv Shakti'. Nearly seven months after the announcement, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) approved the name on March 19. According to the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, the IAU Working Group on Planetary System Nomenclature has approved the name 'Shiv Shakti' for the landing site of Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander.

PM Modi named 'Shiv Shakti'

Three days after the historic landing of Vikram lander on the Moon on August 23, 2023, PM Modi announced the name 'Shiv Shakti' at the ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru. The Prime Minister said that Shiva's resolution is for the welfare of humanity and Shakti gives us the power to fulfill those resolutions. This Shiva Shakti point of the Moon gives a feeling of connection from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari.

Naming of lunar landing site

Chandrayaan-3 Vikram lander started serving as a marker at a site near the Moon's south pole. , The landing site of Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander will now be known as 'Shiv Shakti'. Importantly, Chandrayaan-3 was launched on 14 July 2023. It was launched by an LVM3-M4 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. Vikram Lander touched the lunar surface at 6.04 pm on August 23.

Total 7 payloads with Chandrayaan-3

7 payloads were sent with Chandrayaan-3. It was designed to orbit the Moon to detect radiation coming from Earth. There were three payloads on the lander.

It was equipped with an alternative landing facility

ISRO had decided during the testing itself that if one site was not found suitable for landing, then another site would also be prepared. Arrangements were made to take Chandrayaan-3 back and forth from the target site. It was already determined that it could land safely within a radius of one kilometer. A flat place has been selected for Chandrayaan-3. The reason is that if any object comes in the way at that time, the balance of Chandrayaan will not be disturbed.