National Moon Day, also known as the Space Exploration Day, is observed on July 20 every year to commemorate the anniversary of the United States’ first crewed mission to the moon, and the landing of astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on moon on July 20, 1969.
Apart from honouring the historic landing on the moon, National Moon Day is also celebrated as a reminder of the contribution of space scientists and astronauts for the exploration of moon.
History and Significance
On this day, the spaceflight Apollo 11 that carried Neil Armstrong and the pilots Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins landed on the moon for the first time. The grand Apollo 11 was a mission that became a reality eight years after the national goal was announced by then US President John F Kennedy. Armstrong was the commander of the mission while Buzz and Collins were the lunar module pilots.
The celebration behind the day is not only about the landing on the moon but also about the progress made by mankind towards lunar exploration so far.
Moreover, this day offers an opportunity to increase people’s knowledge about the moon and space exploration programmes undertaken by the United States and other countries. The day aims to educate and promote the need for regulations of activities around space exploration.
In 1971, President Richard Nixon proclaimed National Moon Landing Day on July 20, two years after the man’s first moon landing. However, it was not followed by a resolution. In 2019, President Donald Trump proclaimed July 20 as the 50th Anniversary Observance of the Apollo 11 Lunar Landing, but no National Moon Day was declared.
The theme of the National Moon Day 2023 is “Lunar Exploration, Coordination and Sustainability” that would aim to raise awareness about the importance of international cooperation in sustainable moon exploration.
This year the National Moon Day is a special occasion for India as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has recently successfully launched its Chandrayaan 3 mission from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
Chandrayaan-3 is moving in a circular motion instead of a direct path to the moon in order to optimise its journey. The spacecraft, which was launched on July 14, is expected to have a soft landing on the surface of the moon on August 23.
With the success of this mission, India will become the fourth nation to successfully land on the Moon after the US, Russia, and China.
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