Former ISRO Chief AS Kiran Visits Goenka Temple, Says Mars Next Stop After Moon

Fatehpur: Former ISRO Chief A.S. Kiran Kumar visited the Goenka Temple in Fatehpur, where he offered prayers and sought blessings. He was welcomed by temple manager Rakesh Sharma Munim, along with Gaurav Goenka, Vineet Goenka, Sumitra Goenka, and Omprakash Somani.

During his visit, Kiran Kumar emphasized ISRO’s significant role in enhancing India’s global reputation in space technology. He highlighted that India is among the top five nations in space exploration and that despite the setback of Chandrayaan-2, ISRO’s subsequent progress and achievements have astonished the world.

He further stated that after the Moon, India's next milestone would be Mars. Speaking about Chandrayaan-2’s failure, he remarked that failures should not be feared but analyzed to develop stronger strategies. He emphasized that success and failure are both integral to scientific discoveries and life itself.

Kiran Kumar served as the ISRO Chairman from 2015 to 2018 and is regarded as one of India’s leading scientists. He was honored with the Padma Shri in 2014 and received recognition for Chandrayaan-1 in 2013. Additionally, the French government awarded him in 2019, and in 2018, he received the International Von Karman Wing Award.

His contributions to ISRO include leading the launch of 144 satellites simultaneously and playing a key role in developing the Mars Orbiter spacecraft for the Mangalyaan mission. His remarkable contributions to Chandrayaan-1’s success also earned him several prestigious accolades.