'Chandrayaan-3 mission commanded lesser budget than movies made on space,' says Nirmala Sitharaman

India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission commanded a lesser budget compared to the movies which are made on space itself, Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Wednesday in the Rajya Sabha.

“One of the most interesting factors is that Chandrayaan-3 mission costed only around US $75 million, approximately Rs 615 crores. Our Chandrayaan-3 commanded a lesser budget when compared to some of the movies which are made on space itself,” Sitharaman said briefing the Upper House of the Parliament on ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 mission.

The Union minister listed out a few movies on space and compared their production cost with that of Chandrayaan-3 mission.

“Innovative cost cutting methods are the reasons why it took a few days more…” Sitharaman said.

The minister told the Parliament that “increasingly India’s space programme are becoming Atmanirbhar and the immense potential of homegrown industries and their technologies are now increasingly helping our expedition to the space. Chandrayaan-3 benefitted from this.”

#WATCH | “Chandrayaan-3 mission cost only around US $75 million (approximately). Our Chandrayaan-3 mission commanded a lesser budget than some movies made on space itself…,” says Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Rajya Sabha on ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 mission. pic.twitter.com/oeK3QPMcjQ

— ANI (@ANI) September 20, 2023

Sitharaman said India, through the Chandrayaan-3, has displayed and showcased its capability to design, to develop and to manufacture high-end equipment which are so required, but all domestically.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 25 August, 2023, announced that it had completed a "soft landing" on the moon surface, near its southern pole.