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Chandrayaan-3: Hello Superpowers, India Is On The Moon!

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India is on the moon. With those five words, ISRO chairman S Somanath summed up the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, a longdrawn journey scripted by its dedicated scientists, unmindful of the recent setback to Chandrayaan-2. As the sun rose over the moon’s South Pole, the Vikram Lander, with Pragyan in its belly, gently touched on the Moon’s surface kicking up lunar dust and kick-starting a new chapter in what could be the beginning of a space odyssey to Mars, the sun and the space beyond. Responding to over a million prayers of Indians all over the world, Vikram held its nerve in what is described as ‘20 minutes of terror’ and landed flawlessly in the unchartered South Pole, making India the first country to leave its footprints in the area and the fourth nation after the US, Russia and China to land on the lunar surface.

It was a nail-biting moment at the ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru when at around 5.25 pm the Automatic Landing Sequence (ALS) was initiated, leaving Vikram to its own maneuvers in the final touchdown. The scientists broke into a huge applause hugging each other, crying in joy as the world cheered India’s achievement in taking within its embrace the ‘khoya khoya chand and the khula aasman.’

PM Modi celebrates the moment

Celebrating the moment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in Johannesburg in South Africa, said the moon landing is the dawn of a new era. “India will not stop on the moon. The new era of confidence and belief will take us beyond,” he said, adding that the Aditya L1 mission to the Sun and the human space mission, Gaganyaan, are next in the pipeline. Coming back to the Chandrayaan-3, at around 5 pm, the first of the series of the final commands emanated from Bengaluru, telling the ALS to take over and begin its four-phase descent towards the moon’s surface.

Highly controlled and powered descent

In a highly controlled and powered descent, closely monitored by the orbiting propulsion modules – Chandrayaan-2 and 3 — Vikram lander took its final steps, hurtling towards the moon’s surface at a velocity of 1.68 km per second, which is nearly 6048 km per hour – almost ten times the velocity of an airplane. Moments later, in the first phase, the Vikram lander slammed the brakes – called the rough braking phase — by firing its engines for about 11.5 minutes. Next came the fine braking phase when Vikram was made to further slow down and shift to a vertical mode to face the moon’s surface. This was the phase when the lander during the Chandrayaan-2 launch went out of control and crashed on the moon’s surface. At 800 meters above the Moon’s surface, both the horizontal and vertical velocities were reduced to zero giving Vikram 10 seconds to survey the landing strip. The lander was then made to go down further and hover once at 150 meters, taking images of hazards in quest for the best landing site. It then touched down on the lunar surface with just two engines firing and its sturdy legs absorbing the impact of 3m/second or about 10.8 km per hour. Soon after the sensors on the legs felt the lunar surface, the engines immediately shut down marking the end of the 20-minutes of terror. Vikram’s landing was dramatic as it kicked up dust, which took over two hours to settle due to weak gravity on the moon.

Pragyaan rolled out

Once the dust settled down, the child in Vikram’s belly, the Pragyaan, rolled out to ‘play’ on the moon’s surface. The rover took its baby steps towards the Moon’s surface after remaining in deep slumber for over 3.84 lakh km lasting 40 days. The big moment came when Vikram took images of the rover and Pragyaan responded by clicking images of the lander, the first ‘selfies’ clicked by India from the lunar surface. The lander and rover are both solar powered and are made to last one lunar day – which is equal to 14 Earth days. In these 14 days, the Pragyaan would be actively sniffing for water. During the Lunar day, the solar panels would be charged so that when the sun rises again, work can begin again.

NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) played a key role, says ISRO Chief S Somanath

In India’s journey to the moon, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) played a key role, said Somanath in his comments. ‘‘We cannot track the mission in the shadow areas and it is here that other agencies would key in,’’ he added. ESA supported the lander during the entire phase of lunar surface operations, helping to ensure that science data acquired by the rover arrives safely with ISRO. ISRO operates a 32-metre deep space tracking station in Byalalu, in Karnataka, that enabled it to locate, track, command and receive telemetry and scientific data from its distant spacecraft. India is not going to stop on the moon. With all the cheers coming from all over and the team work of hundreds of scientists at ISRO, space would be an unchartered expanse waiting to be explored, and the endeavour is to tread where no man has gone before.

Maharashtra

Major Reshuffle in Mumbai Police: Multiple DCPs Transferred

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Mumbai, May 30, 2025: In a significant administrative move, the Mumbai Police Establishment Board has ordered the transfer of several Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs), following a meeting held on April 30, 2025. The reshuffle aims to enhance operational efficiency and streamline law enforcement across the city.

Part A: Internal Transfers within Mumbai Police

  1. Krishna Kant Upadhyay, previously in charge of Headquarters-1, has been transferred to serve as DCP, Zone 3.
  2. Dattakishan Salgar, who was with the Prohibition and Narcotics Branch, will now head Zone 10.
  3. Mahesh Bhanushali Chimte, earlier in charge of Protection, has been posted to Zone 11.
  4. Narayana Dakhale, who was posted in Zone 6, will now lead the Special Crime Branch.
  5. Vijaykant Namdev Samar, transferred from Zone 7, has been appointed as Port Police DCP.
  6. Prashant Ashokdas Pardeshi, previously responsible for Mantralaya Security, has been posted to Traffic (South).
  7. Ninit Gokhale will now serve in the Special Force Unit (Anti-Naxal Operation).
  8. Vikas Kavade, from Zone 9, has been transferred to Special Branch-2.
  9. Purushottam Ramrao Kale, formerly with Crime Branch-1, is now posted to the Andheri Crime Branch.
  10. Salim Bh. Gulate, previously in Zone 10, will now serve as DCP (Crime Branch, General).

Part B: Transfers from Outside Mumbai to Mumbai

  1. Sameer Arshad Shaikh, Police Officer from Satara (transferred on 23/04/2025), has been posted as DCP, Zone 6.
  2. Rakesh Aol, Police Officer from Akola (transferred on 26/04/2025), has been posted as DCP, Zone 7.
  3. Raj Tilak Roshan, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Law & Order), Maharashtra State, Mumbai (transferred on 27/04/2025), has been posted to the Disclosure Department.

All newly appointed officers have been instructed to take charge immediately and confirm their joining with the Senior Administration Office (PS-3). This major reshuffle is expected to bring fresh leadership to crucial zones and departments within Mumbai Police and is seen as a step toward strengthening the city’s law and order mechanisms.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Police DCP Internal Transfer Dutta Nalawde Zone 10 and Aslam Shaikh Zone 6 appointed

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Mumbai: Internal transfers have been made in Mumbai Police, under which Krishna Kant Upadhyay has been transferred to Zone 3, he was earlier in Police Headquarters 1. DCP Detection Datta Nalawade has been transferred to Zone 10 and Sachin Ganjal has been transferred to Preventive. Mahesh Chamte has been transferred from Protection to Zone 12, Zone 6 Nunath Dhule to Anti-Narcotics Cell, Zone 7 Vijay Kant Sagar to Sea Protection Port Zone, Prasant Pardesi Mantralaya to Traffic South, Nimit Goel from LA to STF EOW, Zone 3 Dattatre Kamble SB 1, Parshottam Karad Cyber ​​Crime, Aslam Sheikh has been transferred to Zone 6. Rakesh Ola has been transferred to Zone 7, Raj Tilak Roshan to Detection Crime Branch, DCPs.

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Maharashtra

Two Arrested in Malvani for Printing Fake Indian Currency Notes

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Date: 30th May 2025 Location: Malvani, Mumbai

In a major breakthrough, Malvani Police from Zone XI have arrested two individuals involved in the printing and circulation of counterfeit Indian currency notes. The accused were apprehended from the Malvani area of Malad (West), Mumbai, following a tip-off received by Senior Police Inspector Dr. Deepak Hinge.

Acting swiftly on the intelligence, the police raided a rented room near Sai Baba Mandir in Malvani’s Gate No. 8 on 29th May 2025 around 10:30 PM. The operation was led by a special team comprising Crime Detection Unit officers and beat marshals from Malvani Police Station.

During the raid, the police seized a total of 1,000 fake notes in ₹500 denomination, amounting to a face value of ₹5,00,000. In addition, they confiscated tools used in the counterfeiting operation, including a laptop, printer, cutter, ink, and blank note paper. Police estimate the material could have been used to print up to ₹23,30,000 in fake currency.

The arrested individuals have been identified as:

  1. Sampat Saamarya Ujjanpalli (Age 46), originally from Gadchiroli district, Maharashtra.
  2. Hasimoddin Gafur Sheikh (Age 30), resident of Ghansawangi, Jalna district, Maharashtra.

Both individuals have been booked under IPC Sections 489A, 489C, 489D, 34, and other relevant provisions for counterfeiting currency and are currently in police custody.

Senior officials from the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), including senior police inspectors and crime detection teams, played a crucial role in guiding the investigation.

Malvani Police are continuing further investigations to trace other individuals possibly involved in this fake currency network and to understand if there are any links to organized crime syndicates.

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