The Moon Warriors

The men and women who made india’s lunar accomplishment possible by the sheer dint of their dedication, hard work and never-say-die attitude. They are a brilliant example of how to script success out of failure

- RAJ CHENGAPPA 

MOX or Mission Operations Complex-2 in the heart of Peenya, a teeming hub of small-scale industries in Bengaluru, has an unimpressive PWD-type façade. The road leading up to it does have a fresh coat of tar. It was in preparation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit on August 26 to congratulate Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists for the superlative success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission to the moon. But it had to be put off till after his visit due to security reasons.

On the MOX porch are displayed real-size models of Vikram, India’s now-famous moon lander, and its companion, the Pragyan rover. They were transported from the UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) at the other end of the city for the PM’s benefit. Sheathed in a shiny gold-coloured thermal blanket, Vikram, with its four landing legs, is surprisingly tall—around 10 feet—but has a squat box-like appearance. Weighing 1,742 kilograms, landing it on the moon is like dropping a mini-SUV on the satellite’s surface. Pragyan, the rover whose glistening aluminium wheels bear the imprint of India’s national emblem, resembles an oversized skateboard. ISRO scientists and their families were busy taking selfies with the spacecraft replica before it was dismantled and returned to the URSC.