Roles assumed by women have undergone a profound evolution. Transitioning from traditional nurturing responsibilities, they have emerged as indispensable contributors across diverse domains, including science and technology. Chandrayaan-3 hailed the women scientists who led India’s moon landing. This article serves as a tribute to the female engineers who orchestrated the expedition, making groundbreaking history. Groundbreaking Chandrayaan-3 mission ISRO, or the Indian Space Research Organisation, is India's national space agency. Chandrayaan-3 marks the third chapter in its lunar exploration saga through the Chandrayaan program. Its purpose is to explore the moon's surface, study lunar composition, and demonstrate soft landing capabilities. Embarking on a transformative lunar exploration journey, Chandrayaan-3 stands as a testament to India's space ambitions. Launched on July 14, 2023, from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, this mission is an extension of ISRO's lunar program, aiming to explore the moon's mysteries with precision. Read more: 3 Bangladeshi women make it to list of top 100 Asian scientists The mission comprises the Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover, symbolising technological innovation. The propulsion module facilitated the lunar orbit insertion, a crucial step, achieved on August 5, 2023. This propelled the spacecraft into an orbit around the moon, preparing for a historic lunar landing. Vikram, equipped with four landing legs and thrusters, carries both Pragyan and scientific instruments for lunar analysis. Pragyan, the six-wheeled rover, embarked on an odyssey across the lunar surface. Chandrayaan-3's triumphant lunar descent on August 23, 2023 showcased India's prowess in soft landings. With meticulous calculations, Vikram achieved a controlled touchdown, setting the stage for Pragyan's mission. Read more: New crew for the space station launches with 4 astronauts from 4 countries Pioneering Women Scientists behind Chandrayaan-3 Mission Within Chandrayaan-3's celestial voyage, a constellation of remarkable women scientists emerges. This assembly of 54 adept female engineers and scientists exemplifies the culmination of scientific excellence intertwined with relentless determination. Here are the nine leading women scientists who were part of India’s Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission. Ritu Karidhal Srivastava This accomplished Indian scientist and aerospace engineer started on her ISRO journey in 1997. As the Deputy Operations Director of India's Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan), she played a pivotal role in orchestrating the spacecraft's autonomy system. It enables the spaceship to navigate space autonomously and respond to anomalies with precision.  Fondly referred to as one of India's "Rocket Women," Ritu's contributions were undeniable in propelling India into the exclusive league of space explorers. Her expertise resonates in conceptualizing and executing the craft's onward autonomy system. It was a cornerstone of the mission's success. Read more: 10 Greatest Female Scientists of All Time Kalpana Kalahasti Kalpana, armed with an aeronautical engineering degree from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, entered ISRO in 2003 as a scientist. Her illustrious career includes diverse satellite projects, including communication and remote sensing satellites. This expertise has transformed India's capabilities in data collection and communication.  The significant milestones of her career include Mars Orbiter Mission and Chandrayaan-2. Her ingenious design of propulsion systems and imaging equipment exemplified her engineering prowess. Notably, her integral role in the Chandrayaan-2 and Mangalyaan missions underscores her versatility and indelible contributions. Dr. V. R. Lalithambika Dr. V. R. Lalithambika, a stalwart since 1988, carved her niche in the realm of Advanced Launcher Technologies. Her journey with ISRO commenced at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), where she joined as a young engineer. Over the years, she led a team that designed rocket control and guidance systems, an integral aspect of mission success. Her expertise spans over a hundred space missions, reflecting her adeptness in engineering and leadership.  Read more: Jute Sanitary Napkins: Bangladeshi scientist Farhana Sultana got awarded for eco-friendly innovation

The Moon's little-explored South Pole is where India's third lunar mission is eyeing to land a lander and rover on August 23. Also read: Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter detects solar proton events: Space Agency ISRO The lander, Chandrayaan 3, started its final stage of the mission on Thursday when it separated from the propulsion module that had been bringing it near the Moon, reports BBC. Read also: Isro locates Chandrayaan-2 lander on Moon, but yet to make contact However, a Russian spaceship is also voyaging towards the moon’s South Pole, it said. Luna-25 is Russia’s first moon mission since 1976, when the country was a part of the Soviet Union. Also read: India's 3rd lunar mission may spill over to 2021 The Luna-25, which was launched last week, is set to make a soft landing on August 21 or August 22. If Luna-25 succeeds in making the soft landing as scheduled, Chandrayaan-3 will have to settle for being a close second, said the report. However, the much-anticipated Chandrayaan 3’s landing will bring India into the list of nations—the US, the former Soviet Union, and China—that made it to the lunar surface, the report also said. The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft was launched on July 14 but made several Earth orbits before entering lunar orbit on August 5. Since then, the spacecraft has been circling the Moon in preparation for the landing, said the report. There has been talk of a "mini space race" as both Russian and Indian spacecraft are inching towards history together, it added. The Indian Space Research Organisation, however, is keen to call it a new "meeting point" on the moon rather than a race. "Isro has never been in any race, right from the day one of its inception in the 1960s," an Isro spokesman told the BBC.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will create a special “data window” for small island nations, generating and disseminating satellite data that will help these countries to strengthen their fences against climate disasters, India said at the UN climate conference on Tuesday. This will be part of the new India-backed international initiative that seeks to make critical infrastructure in the small island states resilient against all kinds of disasters, reports The India Express. The initiative, called IRIS or Infrastructure for Resilient Island States, was formally launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart Boris Johnson in the presence of leaders of several of these countries. “India is already working with island countries in the Pacific and elsewhere to help them manage the threats of climate change. In that endeavour, India is launching yet another programme. Our space agency, ISRO will create a special data window for SIDS (Small Island Developing States),” Modi said.  “Through this mechanism, the small island states will get continuous information that will help them in monitoring cyclones, coral reefs, and coastlines,” he said. Also read: India to make second attempt of soft landing on Moon: ISRO chief IRIS is the first major programme under the Coalition of Disaster Resilience Infrastructure (CDRI), an international partnership launched by India two years ago to safeguard important infrastructure against the increasing frequency of climate disasters. So far, 26 countries, along with some UN agencies, multilateral development banks, and financial institutions, have become part of the coalition. “It is incredibly cruel that these vulnerable small island states are right on the frontline of the loss and damage that is caused by global warming. They have done virtually nothing to cause the problem. Every country that has contributed to carbon dioxide must contribute to join this campaign,” said Prime Minister Johnson, whose country has pledged 10 million pounds for the initiative. Modi said IRIS would not just strengthen infrastructure but also help the countries in accessing technology and finance from the developed world, because of the priority given to these infrastructure projects in the finance pipeline. “This will also generate income and employment,” Modi said.  

India's first space mission of 2021 suffered a major setback after an indigenous rocket carrying a state-of-the-art earth observation satellite ended in failure in the early hours of Thursday due to "a technical anomaly". The state-owned Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) rocket blasted off successfully with the earth observation satellite -- EOS-03 -- from the southern spaceport of Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh state at 5.43 this morning. "However, the mission could not be fully accomplished mainly because there's a technical anomaly observed in the cryogenic stage," ISRO chairman K Sivan said in a statement. Also read: 18-year-old joining Blue Origin’s 1st passenger spaceflight In a separate tweet, ISRO said, "GSLV-F10 launch took place today at 05.43 Hrs IST as scheduled. Performance of first and second stages was normal. However, Cryogenic Upper Stage ignition did not happen due to technical anomaly. The mission couldn't be accomplished as intended." EOS-03 could have helped India's weather department monitor natural disasters like cloudbursts and cyclonic storms and its armed forces plan an operation in case of need, according to sources. Also read: No ET, no answers: Intel report is inconclusive about UFOs Earlier, the Indian space agency had twice shelved its plan to launch the satellite into space. On the other hand, "this is the fourteenth flight of GSLV", ISRO said.

The Indian space research organisation ( ISRO) Thursday successfully launched a communication satellite CMS-01 onboard Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle -- PSLV-C50, officials said.

Indian on Saturday evening successfully launched into space as many as 10 satellites in one go, including its latest earth observation satellite (EOS-01) and nine more satellites from foreign nations, the first such mission during the Covid pandemic.

A team of Indian scientists claims to have found a sustainable process to make brick-like structures on the lunar surface which could be a significant step forward in space exploration.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has planned to launch its third lunar mission Chandrayaan 3 in 2021 following approval from the government along with Human Spaceflight program Gaganyaan in 2022, ISRO Chairman K Sivan said on Wednesday.