Govt declares August 23 as National Space Day to mark moon landing

The government has notified August 23, the day Chandrayaan-3 made a soft landing on the moon, as National Space Day.

"...the Government of India has declared the 23rd Day of August of every year as the 'NATIONAL SPACE DAY' to commemorate this historic moment," said a notification issued by the Department of Space dated October 13.

India has become the fourth nation in the world to land a spacecraft on the moon and the first to land near the south pole of the lunar surface. The Vikram lander had also deployed the Pragyan rover on the moon to study the lunar surface.

"The outcome of this historic mission will benefit mankind in the years to come," the notification said.

It added that August 23 marked an important milestone in the country's advancements in Space Missions, which inspired younger generations towards enhanced interest in pursuing STEM and provided a major impetus to the Space sector.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) headquarters in Bengaluru on August 26, made the announcement to observe August 23 as National Space Day.

"To encourage our younger generation to get involved in the field of science and technology and space, we have decided that August 23, the day when our Chandrayaan-3 lander touched the moon, will be celebrated as National Space Day, Modi had said in Bengaluru.