Representatives of IAF Member Organizations in good standing, Chairpersons of IAF administrative and technical committees, and elective and appointive IAF officers can nominate:
Category A: Any person with exceptional merits in the space field
Category B: Any team with exceptional achievement in the space field
During the IAF Spring Meetings (25 - 27 March 2025), the IAF Honours and Awards Committee have reviewed the nominations received for the IAF World Space Award and should have made a recommendation for the recipient(s) to the IAF Bureau. If no suitable candidate was found, this award will not be given in 2025.
The award consists of a medal and the recipient(s) will also be included into a special section of the IAF Hall of Fame.
The IAF World Space Award recipient(s) will be inducted during the Opening Ceremony of the 76th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Sydney, Australia and will also be offered to give a highlight lecture during the IAC.
Reference: IAF World Space Awards
As per IAF: "Chandrayaan-3 mission by Indian Space Research Organisation exemplifies the synergy of scientific curiosity and cost-effective engineering, symbolizing India's commitment to excellence and the vast potential that space exploration offers humanity. Rapidly unveiling previously undiscovered facets of the Moon's composition and geology, the mission stands as a global testament to innovation. Achieving a historic milestone, Chandrayaan-3 becomes the first to touch down near the lunar South Pole, showcasing both aspiration and technological prowess on an international scale.”
Chandrayaan-3 was launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on 14 July 2023. The spacecraft entered lunar orbit on 5 August, and became the first lander to touch down near the lunar south pole on 23 August at 18:03 IST (12:33 UTC), making India the fourth country to successfully land on the Moon, and at 69°S, the southernmost lunar landing (this record was broken on 22 February 2024 by the IM-1 mission, a NASA-private venture collab.).
While initially ISRO was hesitant to reveal the number, eventually it turned out that the project was achieved at a budget of less than US $90 Million. For a detailed discussion on ISRO finances, please review this page.
The science results from this project were interesting, to say the least:
ChaSTE (Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment) measured the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the pole, to understand the thermal behavior of the moon's surface. It had a temperature probe equipped with a controlled penetration mechanism capable of reaching a depth of 10 cm beneath the surface. The probe was fitted with 10 individual temperature sensors.
The Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument onboard Chandrayaan-3 Rover made the first-ever in-situ measurements on the elemental composition of the lunar surface near the south pole. These in-situ measurements confirmed the presence of Sulphur (S) in the region unambiguously, something that was not feasible by the instruments onboard the orbiters.
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) onboard rover discovered the presence of interesting minor elements, including Sulfur (coinciding with the results from LIBS), apart from the major expected elements such as Aluminum, Silicon, Calcium, Iron. This gave an interesting insight to the composition of the lunar soil and rocks the south polar region.
First in-situ measurements of the surface-bound Lunar plasma environment over the south polar region were carried out by the Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive ionosphere and Atmosphere - Langmuir Probe (RAMBHA-LP) payload onboard Chandrayaan-3 Lander.
The Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) payload on the Chandrayaan 3 Lander was the first instance of a Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology-based instrument on the moon. It recorded the vibrations occurring due to the movements of Rover and other payloads.
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandrayaan-3#
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02685-4
https://www.isro.gov.in/Ch3_ScienceResults.html
https://www.iafastro.org/activities/honours-and-awards/iaf-world-space-award/
By, Pashupati Sah, 19th October 2024.
Year Recipient Agency
2024 Chandrayaan-3 Team ISRO (India)
2023 James Webb Space Telescope Team NASA (USA); ESA (EU); CSA (Canada)
Elon Musk SpaceX (USA)
2022 Tianwen-1 Spacecraft Development Team CNSA (China)
2021 Hayabusa2 Team JAXA (Japan)
2020 Chang'e 4 Mission Leaders CNSA (China)
2019 Apollo 11 Crew NASA (USA)
2017 Charles Bolden NASA (USA)
2016 Yuri Koptev Roscosmos (Russia)
2013 Edward C. Stone NASA (USA)
References
By, Pashupati Sah, 19th October 2024.
The World Space Award, one of the most prestigious awards in the aerospace sector, is presented by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). It honors individuals or teams that have made outstanding contributions to space science, technology, or management, having a significant global impact on astronautics. Established by the IAF, the award recognizes groundbreaking achievements in space exploration, ranging from technological advancements to scientific discoveries.
IAF is a prominent body in the space community that promotes astronautics globally. After World War II, Heinz Gartmann, Gunter Loeser, and Heinz-Hermann Koelle formed the German Rocket Society. They started discussions with the British (British Interplanetary Society or BIS) and the French (Groupement Astronautique Français) organizations. Groupement Astronautique Français organized the First International Congress for Astronautics in Paris in September 1950. At the second congress in London, in September 1951, the International Astronautical Federation was organized.
The IAF has played a significant role in encouraging international cooperation and recognizing outstanding contributions to space science, technology, and exploration. The organization is known for hosting the International Astronautical Congress (IAC), which serves as a global forum for space professionals.
The (IAF) World Space Awards were first awarded in 2013. As per their website, the IAF World Space Award is presented for an outstanding contribution or contributions in space science, space technology, space medicine, space law or space management of exceptional impact to the world’s progress in astronautics.
References
By, Pashupati Sah, 19th October 2024.