Aug 23 to be National Space Day; Chandrayaan-3 landing point named 'Shivshakti'

August 23, the day when the Vikram Lander of Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully touched down on the Moon's surface, will now be celebrated as National Space Day, declared Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.

Addressing the scientists behind the Chandrayaan-3 mission at the ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru, he said, "India will celebrate August 23 as 'National Space Day' to mark the successful touchdown of Chandrayaan-3 mission's lander.”

PM Modi flew directly down to Bengaluru early on Saturday, after concluding his two-nation visit to South Africa and Greece, to congratulate and meet the ISRO scientists involved in the Chandrayaan-3 mission to the Moon.

In his address, he also announced that the spot where Chandrayaan-3’s lander landed, will be known as ‘Shivshakti’, and the place where Chandrayaan-2 left its “footprint” in 2019 will be called the ‘Tiranga Point’.