Mumbai’s Nehru Planetarium to showcase India’s journey to Moon, new show to start from March 17

Mumbai’s Nehru Planetarium will host a new show, ‘The Moon Mission – India’s Journey to the Moon’, from Tuesday (March 17).

In a press release issued Saturday, the planetarium informed that the show is scripted by Dr Sudhir Kumar, former director, Capacity Building Programme Office, Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro).

“The show is created and produced by Vedarth Animation Studio, a sister organisation of Infovision, the company that first introduced digital planetarium technology in India,” Arvind Paranjpye, Director, Nehru Planetarium,Mumbai, said.

“‘The Moon Mission – India’s Journey to the Moon’ is a spectacular new full-dome planetarium experience that takes audiences on an unforgettable voyage to Earth’s closest celestial neighbour.

Blending science, history, and cinematic storytelling, the show celebrates humanity’s timeless fascination with the Moon and India’s remarkable achievements in lunar exploration,” Rohan D Lahane, Programme Coordinator, Nehru Planetarium, Nehru Centre, said.

“The journey began thousands of years ago, when the Moon captured the imagination of civilisations worldwide, including those of the Greeks, Romans, Hindus, and Chinese, who celebrated it as a symbol of beauty, mystery, and cosmic connection.

The show then reveals the Moon’s extraordinary scientific significance.

Formed billions of years ago in a dramatic collision between the young Earth and a planetary body, the Moon continues to shape our world – driving ocean tides, influencing eclipses, and stabilising Earth’s natural rhythms that sustain life.

“From ancient wonder to modern exploration, the narrative shifts to India’s inspiring lunar journey led by Isro.

Audiences relive the historic launch ofChandrayaan1 in 2008, the mission that made the groundbreaking discovery of water molecules on the lunar surface and transformed global understanding of the Moon,” the press release stated.

According to Paranjpye, the story moves forward with Chandrayaan 2, whose powerful orbiter continues to deepen scientific knowledge of the Moon’s south polar region.

The journey culminates in the triumphant success of Chandrayaan 3, which achieved a historic soft landing near the lunar south pole on August 23, 2023, making India the first nation to accomplish this milestone.