ISRO's Moon Moment to Shine at Republic Day Parade with Tableau, 8 Women Scientists of Chandrayaan-3

Eight women scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) who were part of India’s biggest space dream of landing on the moon will march down Kartavya Path as part of the 75th Republic Day parade to be held on Friday.

The all-women contingent from various ISRO centres in Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram, and Sriharikota will lead the special tableau to be showcased by ISRO. The space agency will depict the historic moment when its spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 successfully touched down on the moon on August 23 last year. The milestone led India to become the first and the only country in the world to land near the unexplored lunar south pole.

“The attempt is to provide a snapshot of that entire journey of Chandrayaan-3 – right from the launch pad at Sriharikota to its touchdown on the moon – a site which is now known as the Shiv Shakti point. The tableau will depict all the key moments of this historic mission,” said a senior ISRO scientist.

As many as 212 other scientists from various ISRO centres will also witness the parade from a special enclosure. The tableau will have a miniature model of India’s heaviest launcher, the LVM MK3, which lifted off with Chandrayaan-3 into space on July 14, 2023. The rocket is also set to fly the crew module of ISRO’s first-ever human spaceflight, Gaganyaan, scheduled to take off in late 2025.

Apart from the launch pad at Sriharikota and the rocket, the tableau will also showcase the control room of ISRO in Bengaluru from where scientists tracked the final moments of the Chandrayaan-3 landing. It will also depict the soft landing on the moon with the lander Vikram and rover Pragyan.

Besides Chandrayaan-3, the space agency will also provide a glimpse of other key missions, including Aditya – the first-ever solar observatory, which reached its designated L1 point on January 6 – as well as the upcoming Gaganyaan mission.

This year, the Republic Day parade will be mostly led by women contingents from various sectors. Apart from ISRO scientists, there will be 100 women artistes playing Indian musical instruments, and an all-women tri-service contingent marching down Kartavya Path for the first time. The Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) contingents will also consist of women personnel.

A total of 25 tableaux from as many as 16 states and union territories as well as nine ministries will roll down the Kartavya Path during the parade. The parade will start at 10.30 am and run for around 90 minutes. The seating capacity at Kartavya Path is 77,000, of which 42,000 places are reserved for the general public. French President Emmanuel Macron will be the chief guest at this year’s Republic Day parade.