Chandrayaan-3 landing site named ‘Shiva Shakti’ approved by International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has approved the Chandrayaan-3 landing site name ‘Shiva Shakti’ after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement on August 26, 2023. The name is a compound word from Indian mythology representing masculine (Shiva) and feminine (Shakti) duality of nature.
The IAU working group for Planetary System Nomenclature approved the name ‘Shiva Shakti’ for the landing site of Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander, as per the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. This decision came after PM Modi declared the success of the mission on August 26.
On August 28, 2023, PM Modi announced at ISRO that the Chandrayaan-3 landing site would be known as “Shiv Shakti Point”. He also mentioned that the Chandrayaan-2 landing failure spot would be called “Tiranga Point” and August 23 would be celebrated as “National Space Day” in India.
PM Modi stated that the naming of the Moon’s Shiv Shakti point symbolizes unity from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari and would inspire future generations towards using science for the welfare of humanity. The decision was made at the ISRO Command Centre while addressing scientists there.
