The "rocket woman" behind the Chandrayaan-3 mission is Dr. Ritu Karidhal Srivastava. She is an Indian scientist and aerospace engineer at ISRO who served as the mission director for Chandrayaan-3. Ritu Karidhal has been a key figure in India's space program since 1997, having also played important roles in the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) as Deputy Operations Director and in Chandrayaan-2 as mission director
. Born and raised in Lucknow, she holds a BSc and MSc in Physics from Lucknow University and an ME in Aerospace Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru
. She is known for conceptualizing and executing critical autonomous systems for spacecraft operations and has received several awards, including the ISRO Young Scientist Award and the Aerospace Woman award by the Society of Indian Aerospace Technologies and Industries
. Under her leadership, Chandrayaan-3 achieved the historic feat of being the first mission to soft land on the lunar south pole, a region no other country had previously reached. The landing site, named "Shiv Shakti Point," was chosen by women scientists including Ritu Karidhal and her team, highlighting the significant role women played in the mission's success
. In summary, Dr. Ritu Karidhal Srivastava is widely recognized as the rocket woman who led the Chandrayaan-3 mission to its successful lunar south pole landing, marking a milestone in India's space exploration history
