'Watershed moment': Indian astronauts applaud NASA's Artemis II mission
What's the story
The success of NASA's Artemis II mission has been hailed as a "watershed moment" by Indian astronaut-designates. Group Captain Angad Singh said the mission is of global significance, marking humanity's return to the Moon after over 50 years. He emphasized that it reaffirms faith in human capability and resilience, adding that "It has re-validated that nothing is impossible when you have the right amount of human resilience, vision, and the best system engineering of the day has to offer."
New era
A symbol of humanity's new era
Air Commodore P Balakrishnan Nair also reflected on the significance of the Artemis II mission. He said, "The conception of a child in a mother's womb is a symbol of untold possibilities. As the Artemis II crew returns to Earth, it can in many ways be imagined as being conceived in the womb of Mother Earth." Nair further stressed that this mission should be seen as a symbol for humanity's new era of deep space exploration.
Inspiration
It serves as an inspiration for India
The Artemis II mission, led by NASA, is a major milestone as it marks the first human flight to the Moon's vicinity since the Apollo program. The successful flight is expected to pave the way for future missions, including landing astronauts on the lunar surface. For India, which is gearing up for its own human spaceflight program Gaganyaan, this mission serves as both an inspiration and a benchmark.