Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S. Somanath on September 1 (Friday) offered prayers at the temple of Goddess Chengalamma (also known as Goddess Chengala Parameswari or Ammani), located at Sullurpeta in Tirupati district.
Devotees throng the temple from across Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, and the presiding deity is considered the folk Goddess of the Sriharikota region, where the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) is situated.
Mr. Somanath’s visit was a kind of thanksgiving for the success of the Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission and to pray for the success of the Aditya L1 Mission scheduled for September 2.
Mr. Somanath had prayed at the temple before the launch of the Chandrayaan-3 mission.
Executive Officer A. Srinivasulu Reddy and temple priests extended a ceremonial reception to the ISRO team members, and later offered them ‘prasadam’.
Addressing the media later, Mr. Somanath said that the Aditya L1 mission would be launched at 11.50 a.m. from the Sriharikota spaceport by PSLV C57. The mission would study the sun’s atmosphere after embarking on a journey lasting 125 days.
SDSC-SHAR Director A. Rajarajan and Group Director P. Gopikrishna accompanied him.
