We know you want to thank them. This is why we have curated a list of key scientists who were behind the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission:

Let’s check it out.

1. S Somanath: Chairman of ISRO

Aerospace engineer S. Somanath is the current chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation. He was a key figure in the Chandrayaan-3 mission. Under his leadership, the spacecraft recently made a soft landing on the moon. Somanath was appointed as the chairman of ISRO in January last year. Earlier, he worked as a director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.

2. P Veeramuthuvel: Project Director Of Chandrayaan-3

Born in Tamil Nadu, P Veeramuthuvel joined ISRO in 2014. The space scientist was appointed as the project director of Chandrayaan-3 in 2019. He had earlier served as the deputy director of ISRO’s Space Infrastructure Programme. Veeramuthuvel, who is a post-graduate from IIT Madras, also contribute to Chandrayaan-2 mission.

3. Kalpana Kalahasti: Deputy Project Director Of Chandrayaan-3

Aerospace engineer Kalpana Kalahasti, who hails from Bengaluru, joined ISRO as a scientist in 2003. Kalpana served as the deputy project director of Chandrayaan-3. She was appointed for this position in 2019. Reportedly, Kalpana ensured that the mission continued even during the coronavirus pandemic. She had also been a part of Mangalyaan and Chandrayaan-2.

4. M Sankaran: Director Of U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC)

M Sankaran is a senior scientist in ISRO. He has been serving as the director of U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), an ISRO centre for building satellites since 2021. As per URSC’s website, Sankaran has previously contributed to solar arrays, power systems, satellite positioning system along with outer space missions like Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan.

5. S Unnikrishnan Nair: Director Of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC)

Aerospace engineer S Unnikrishnan Nair is currently serving as the director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. He took over the charge as the director last year. As per VSSC’s website, Nair is the founding director of ISRO’s Human Space Flight Centre who has previously led the team for Gaganyaan Project and established the Astronaut Training Centre in Bangaluru.

6. Ritu Karidhal Srivastava: Senior Scientist Of ISRO

Dr. Ritu Karidhal Srivastava, who hails from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, is popularly known as the Rocket Woman Of India. She is one of the senior scientists in ISRO who led the Chandrayaan-3 mission. Dr. Ritu has previously served as the mission director of Chandrayaan-2 and the deputy operations director of Mangalyaan.

7. Mohana Kumar: Mission Director Of Chandrayaan-3

S Mohana Kumar is the senior scientist in ISRO who served as the mission director of Chandrayaan-3. He holds the responsibility for supervising the launch and landing procedures of the Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover on the lunar surface. Reportedly, Mohana Kumar has been associated with ISRO for over 30 years. He also held the position of director for the accomplished commercial launch of the OneWeb India 2 satellites via the LVM3-M3 mission.

Also Read: 7 Reasons Why Chandrayaan-3 Landing Is So Significant For Us

We take immense pride in these scientists who have enabled India to become the pioneering nation to achieve a soft landing on South Pole of the moon.