PM Modi lands in Bengaluru, says looking forward to meet exceptional ISRO scientists

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India]: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday morning arrived in Karnataka’s Bengaluru after concluding his two-nation visit to South Africa and Greece.

“Landed in Bengaluru. Looking forward to interacting with our exceptional @isro scientists who have made India proud with the success of Chandrayaan-3! Their dedication and passion are truly the driving forces behind our nation’s achievements in the space sector,” PM Modi posted on X (formerly Twitter).

PM Modi headed straight from Greece to Bengaluru where he will be meeting scientists of the ISRO team involved in the Chandrayaan-3 Mission on Saturday.

The Prime Minister watched the live telecast from Johannesburg of the historic touchdown of lander Vikram on the Moon on Wednesday, while he was attending the 15th BRICS Summit.

After a 40-day journey into space, the Chandrayaan-3 lander, ‘Vikram’, touched down on the uncharted lunar South Pole on Wednesday evening, making India the first country to do so.

The PM started his four-day formal tour on August 21 for South Africa and Greece. In South Africa, PM Modi attended the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg from August 22-24 at the invitation of the country’s president Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa.

This was the PM’s third visit to South Africa and the trip marked the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between India and South Africa.

During the Greece visit, the PM held meetings with Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis and President Katerina N Sakellaropoulou.

In the meeting with the Greek President, the PM added another feather to his cap, as he was conferred with the Grand Cross of the Order of Honour in Athens, Greece.

President of Greece Katerina N Sakellaropoulou feted PM Modi with the Grand Cross after the latter called on the former during his day-long official visit to Greece.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission and welcomed his invitation to visit India.

In a joint statement during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Greece at the invitation of his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis, both countries have agreed to elevate their bilateral ties to a “strategic partnership”.