Centre asks universities to organise special assemblies to watch Chandrayaan-3 moon soft landing

With just a few hours left for the soft landing of Chandrayaan-3, the Centre has asked all universities and higher education institutions, including IITs and IIMs, to organise assemblies for the live streaming of the Vikram Landing Module.In a letter to all heads of all education institutions, the Higher Education Secretary K Sanjay Murthy said, "The landing of India’s Chandrayaan-3 is a monumental occasion that will not only fuel curiosity but also spark a passion for exploration within the minds of our youth. It will generate a profound sense of pride and unity as we collectively celebrate the prowess of Indian science and technology."He added, "It will contribute to fostering an environment of scientific inquiry and innovation."The University Grants Commission (UGC) has also issued a similar directive asking the institutions to hold special assemblies and live stream moments of Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission landing, on Wednesday.The Vikram Landing Module of Chandrayaan-3 is scheduled to land on the Moon’s south pole at 6:04 PM today. Once the Vikram Module lands safely, it will perform a systems check and run a few diagnostics. It will also prepare the Pragyaan Rover to go out onto the lunar surface and carry out its data and sample collection.The Pragyaan rover will be on its mission for 14 days, during which it will be analysing the Moon’s surface for traces of water ice, helium-3 and many other critical components.With inputs from PTI