The Indian Space Research Organisation Chandrayaan 3 mission received the 2026 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Goddard Astronautics Award on 21 May 2026 at the ASCEND 2026 Conference held in Washington DC. India Ambassador to the United States Vinay Mohan Kwatra accepted the prestigious recognition on behalf of ISRO. The AIAA Goddard Astronautics Award named after Robert H Goddard the father of modern rocketry is the highest honour conferred by AIAA for notable achievement in the science of astronautics. The award recognises Chandrayaan 3 for technological innovation safe lunar landing and the advancement of global space research. Chandrayaan 3 was launched on 14 July 2023 aboard a LVM 3 M4 rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikota and successfully soft landed its Vikram lander on the lunar surface near the South Pole at Statio Shiv Shakti on 23 August 2023 making India the first nation to land near the lunar south pole and the fourth nation to soft land on the Moon after the United States the Soviet Union and China. The mission cost approximately 615 crore rupees and demonstrated end to end indigenous capabilities including throttleable engines hazard detection and a Pragyan rover that operated for one lunar day collecting in situ data on lunar regolith and detecting elements including sulphur aluminium calcium iron chromium titanium manganese silicon and oxygen. The Chandra Yan series success has propelled India ambitious follow on missions including the planned Chandrayaan 4 lunar sample return mission and the Bharatiya Antariksh Station planned for 2035. The award also follows the United Nations declaration of 23 August as National Space Day in India.