'From Bengaluru to the Moon': Meet Kalpana, a Key Scientist Behind Chandrayaan-3

Kalpana K, who has been with the ISRO since 2003, is the associate project director of Chandrayaan-3.

Born in Bengaluru, Kalpana K, who has been with ISRO since 2003, is the associate project director of Chandrayaan-3, India's moon mission.

(Photo: The Quint)

Cementing India’s status as a global power in space, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scripted history on Wednesday, 23 August, as Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft made a soft landing on the surface of the moon.

Not only is India the fourth country to land on the moon, it is the first to touchdown near the lunar south pole, a matter of national celebration. 

Central to the  success of Chandrayaan-3's mission is a five-member team. 

One of them is Kalpana Kalahasti, associate project director of Chandrayaan-3, who has etched her name in history.

Born in Bengaluru, Karnataka, Kalpana graduated from IIT-Kharagpur with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. 

Having joined ISRO's UR Rao Satellite Centre as a scientist in 2003, Kalpana played an important role during the launch of the Chandrayaan-2 and Mangalyaan (the Mars exploration programme) missions. 

In her address post the success of Chandrayaan-3, Kalpana said, “This will remain the most memorable and the happiest moment for all of us and for our team at Chandrayaan-3. We have achieved our goal flawlessly from the day we started rebuilding our spacecraft after the Chandrayaan-2 experience. It has been breathe in and breathe out Chandrayaan-3 for our team."

Kalpana thanked her teammates for their "dedication" which contributed to the mission's success. "Starting from the  reconfigurations to assimilations and all the tests that we conducted meticulously, was possible due to the immense efforts of Chandrayaan 3 team..."

According to reports, around 54 female engineers/scientists have worked directly on the Chandrayaan-3 mission. Kalpana is said to have motivated the team amid challenges posed to the moon mission during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ISRO centre in Bengaluru broke out in celebration as scientists, and other staff members were seen cheering and clapping at the moment when Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander touched down on the far side of the moon.

Hundreds of ISRO scientists have worked behind the scenes to make the moon landing possible.

"India is on the moon," exclaimed ISRO Chief S Somnath, encapsulating the nation's pride in this achievement.

Other members of the Chandrayaan-3 team included ISRO Chairman S Somanath; Project Director Veeramuthuvel; M Sankaran, Director of U R Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru where the satellite was built; and M Srikanth, the Mission Director.

Cementing India’s status as a global power in space, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scripted history on Wednesday, 23 August as Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft made a soft landing on the surface of the Moon.

Central to the success of Chandrayaan-3's mission is a five-member team. One of them is Kalpana Kalahasti, associate project director of Chandrayaan-3, who has etched her name in history.