AI’s tribute to Kalam, Dhawan, Sarabhai ahead of Chandrayaan-3 landing

As India readies to land Chandrayaan-3 on the surface of the Moon, the historic moment will be the result of hard work of many pioneering names who laid the foundation. In a moving tribute, we used AI to imagine former president APJ Abdul Kalam, Vikram Sarabhai, and Satish Dhawan rejoicing as the Indian spacecraft lands on the Moon. These images showcase the legacies of the brilliant scientists who brought us to this historic moment.

LIVING THE DREAM

Chandrayaan-3 is India's ambitious mission to explore the southern polar region of the Moon and will land on the surface on August 23. Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2, initiated by Isro to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface. Unlike its predecessor, Chandrayaan-3 consists only of a Lander and Rover configuration. It aims to demonstrate the capability of safely landing on the moon and roving on its surface.

APJ ABDUL KALAM

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was an Indian scientist and politician who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. Kalam played a crucial role in the development of India's space and missile technology. He was often referred to as the "Missile Man of India" for his contributions to the development of ballistic missile technology, particularly the Agni and Prithvi missiles. These pictures imagined by AI show his excitement and ecstasy on an Indian spacecraft landing on the Moon.

VIKRAM SARABHAI

Regarded as the father of the Indian space program, Dr Vikram Sarabhai was instrumental in establishing the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) in 1962, which later evolved into the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He recognized the importance of space technology for India's development and led efforts to launch India's first satellite, Aryabhata, in 1975, and its first successful satellite launch vehicle, SLV-3, in 1980. In these images generated by AI, Dr Sarabhai is seen cheering India's moment on the Moon.

UR RAO

Dr UR Rao was an eminent Indian space scientist and pioneer in the field of space research and technology. A key figure in the evolution of the Indian space program, Rao served as the chair of Isro from 1984 to 1994, during which he oversaw numerous significant space missions and advancements in satellite technology. Under his leadership, ISRO achieved several milestones, including the successful launch of India's first satellite, Aryabhata, and the development of the Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV). He is seen joyous with his team on the landing of the Chandrayaan-3 mission on the Moon.

SATISH DHAWAN

Widely regarded as one of the architects of India's space exploration endeavours, Dr. Satish Dhawan served as the Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from 1972 to 1984. Perhaps one of his most notable achievements was leading the successful launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in the 1990s, which demonstrated India's capability to deploy satellites for various purposes into different orbits and brought us to this moment when India launched Chandrayaan-3 in July. Here AI imagines him euphoric about the landing in his office.

NAMBI NARAYANAN

Known for his significant contributions to India's space research and satellite launch vehicle technology, Nambi Narayanan played a key role in the development of liquid rocket engines for ISRO's early satellite launch vehicles. His work was instrumental in India's achievement of indigenous technology for launching satellites into space.