Chennai, Aug 22 (UNI) India will be commemorating the 2nd National Space Day tomorrow marking the historic success of Chandrayaan-3’s soft landing on the Moon’s south pole by ISRO.
The day is being celebrated with the theme "Aryabhatta to Gaganyaan : Ancient Wisdom to Infinite Possibilities" at
Bahrat Mandapam in New Delhi tomorrow, in which top space scientists, including ISRO Chairman Dr V Narayanan,
and union Ministers are expected to take part.
In a historic achievement, Chandrayaan-3 mission accomplished safe and soft-landing of Vikram Lander on the lunar surface
on August 23, 2023.
With this, India became the fourth country to land on the moon and first to land near the southern polar region of the moon.
The soft-landing was followed by successful deployment of Pragyan Rover. The landing site was named as 'Shiv Shakti' point
(Statio Shiv Shakti) and August 23 was declared as the "National Space Day".
In his message on the eve of celebrations, Indian Space Association (ISpA) Director General Lt. Gen. AK Bhatt (Retd.)
said the Government’s proactive policies and strategic support with proactive guidance and impetus from Prime Minisger
Narendra Modi himself, has established a robust foundation for India’s private space ecosystem to thrive.
He said Indian private space companies are now at the forefront of innovation in launch capabilities, satellite technologies, and downstream applications, driving significant growth and enhancing global competitiveness.
"As we celebrate ISRO’s landmark success with the Chandrayaan-3 mission today, we also look forward to the upcoming Gaganyaan mission, where private sector participation will be critical to achieving new milestones in human space exploration", he added.
Over the past five years, the number of space startups in India has surpassed 300, attracting substantial funding of approximately USD 526 million to date, which underscores investor confidence, Lt Gen Bhatt said.
This dynamic ecosystem is well-positioned to elevate India’s space economy to an ambitious USD 44 billion by 2033, he noted.
"Through active collaboration between government and industry, the private sector is spearheading the NewSpace revolution, delivering scalable, cutting-edge solutions and fostering public-private partnerships that will define India’s space leadership and contribute meaningfully to the nation’s economic growth", he added.
ISpA is a premier industry association of space and satellite companies launched by Mr Modi.

In his message, Krishanu Acharya, CEO and Co-Founder, Suhora Technologies, said "on this National Space Day, we celebrate India’s achievements in space exploration and look forward to the upcoming Gaganyaan mission."
"We believe the immense scope for value addition in the lives of our citizens will be driven by how effectively we develop and apply downstream space technologies. By converting satellite data and connectivity into solutions for agriculture, infrastructure, energy, disaster preparedness, defence and governance, India can address critical national priorities while creating global opportunities", he said.
As demand for space-enabled services accelerate worldwide, India's private space ecosystem, with the support of the government, is uniquely positioned to lead by focusing on applications that improve lives at scale, he said.
"At Suhora Technologies, we see downstream capabilities as the bridge between exploration and national progress and the defining drivers of India’s space revolution in the decade ahead", he added.
Suhora Technologies is an India-based startup revolutionizing Earth Observation (EO) and geospatial analytics by integrating cutting-edge satellite imagery with advanced data analytics. The company specializes in transforming near real-time satellite data into actionable intelligence, empowering organizations across defence, disaster management and commercial sectors to make informed decisions, optimize operations and drive sustainable growth.
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