India has taken 'giant leap' in space sector with Chandrayaan-3: Anurag Thakur

Jaipur: Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday said India has taken a "giant leap" in the space sector and a big change will come with the soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon.

The successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 would make India stand among the three-four countries of the world which have made the biggest contribution in the field of space, the union minister of sports and youth affairs said.

“Like 140 crore Indians giving their best wishes for Chandrayaan-3, I am also one of them. India has taken a giant leap in the space sector and we all are waiting for the moment when Chandrayaan-3 lands successfully,” Thakur told reporters here.

“If we look at the recent times when the space policy was changed and opened for the private sector, within twelve months, the private sector launched its rocket and showcased its potential,” he said.

ISRO's ambitious third moon mission Chandrayaan-3's Lander Module (LM) is all set to touch down on the lunar surface on Wednesday evening, making it only the fourth country to do so and the first to reach the uncharted south pole of the Earth's only natural satellite.

The Rs 600-crore mission was launched on July 14 on board Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM-3) rocket for a 41-day voyage to reach near the lunar south pole.