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Meet the scientist behind the Chandrayaan-3 mission, Ritu Karidhal aka India’s ‘Rocket Woman’

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) accomplished a successful launch of the Chandrayaan-3 mission on Friday, July 14, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. This mission marks India’s third lunar exploration and its second attempt at a soft landing on the moon’s surface.

Upon the successful launch, congratulations poured in for the ISRO team as the moon lander named ‘Vikram’ was deployed using the GSLV Mark 3 heavy-lift launch vehicle. Unlike the previous Chandrayaan-2 mission, this time a significant number of women are involved in the project.

According to reports, there are approximately 54 female engineers and scientists directly working on the Chandrayaan-3 mission. They are fulfilling various roles, including associates, deputy project directors, and project managers for different systems.

Dr. Ritu Karidhal Srivastava, popularly known as India’s ‘rocket woman,’ is said to be leading the Chandrayaan-3 mission. She previously served as the mission director of Chandrayaan-2 and the deputy operations director of Mangalyaan, the Mars Orbiter Mission, which successfully entered Mars’ orbit in 2014, making India the first Asian nation to achieve this milestone.

Dr. Ritu Karidhal hails from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, and pursued her education at Lucknow University and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru, specializing in aerospace engineering. Her fascination with space began at a young age, and she collected news articles related to space activities conducted by ISRO and NASA during her school days.

Joining ISRO in November 1997, Karidhal has worked on numerous prestigious missions and played key roles in their success. She has published over 20 papers in international and national publications, according to the Women Economic Forum (WEF).

Speaking about Karidhal, Professor Poonam Tandon of Lucknow University expressed pride in her accomplishments, stating that she was a bright student who qualified the GATE exam and was selected by ISRO while pursuing her PhD.

Karidhal’s family celebrated and shared sweets after the successful launch of ISRO’s LVM3 M4 vehicle into orbit, highlighting their joy and pride in her achievements.

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