National Space Day 23 August 2024

National Space Day August 23

India achieved a safe and precise soft landing of the "Vikram" Lander near the southern polar region of the moon and successfully deployed the Pragyaan Rover on the moon's surface on August 23, 2023. To commemorate this feat, the government has designated August 23rd of every year as "National Space Day."

Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Shri Sanjay Murthy, held a meeting on July 12, 2024, with the Chairman, UGC, Chairman, AICTE, Directors, Vice Chancellors, Heads of Institutions, faculty members, and other officials of Central Universities, IITs, IIMs, NITs, IIITs, CFTIs, IISERs, IISc, and SPA to plan activities that engage and inspire the youth of the nation towards space technology and its applications as part of the National Space Day celebrations. Around 200 participants from these organizations and institutions, along with ministry officials, attended the meeting.

The Secretary encouraged the institutions to organize activities such as one-day conferences, workshops, exhibitions, and space ideathons on their campuses. He also encouraged engaging Tier-2 and Tier-3 HEIs and colleges (including non-technical educational institutions) in their vicinity to inspire the youth towards space technology and its applications.

He urged them to maximize student participation in programs like the Bharatiya Antariksh Hackathon, the ISRO Robotics Challenge, and other events organized at the zonal level by the Department of Space (DoS).

The Secretary also urged @ugc_india and @AICTE_INDIA to issue appropriate advisories to the universities and HEIs under their jurisdiction for planning activities on and before August 23, 2024, in celebration of National Space Day.

Communication has also been sent to the Chief Secretaries of the States and UTs, requesting them to impress upon the Higher and Technical Education Departments in their States and UTs to celebrate National Space Day.