𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐏 𝐓𝐎 𝐈𝐒𝐑𝐎 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐇 𝐎𝐅 𝐄𝐎𝐒-𝐍𝟏

Respected Senior Principal, Dean of Academics, Principal, Heads, Teachers, and my dear friends,
I am Srinithi Bairavi from Class 11-A2. I recently witnessed the launch of the 𝐄𝐎𝐒-𝐍𝟏 𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞 on 𝟏𝟐𝐭𝐡 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔.
The journey began when I was drawn to the 𝐒𝐫𝐢 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐭𝐢 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐳 competition offering a life-changing prize: students who ranked in the top 100 would be taken on a fully-funded trip by the institution to witness ISRO’s first launch of the year. I decided to register, believing there was no harm in trying.
However, I faced a small hitch as the quiz date clashed with my Aakash classes. My father felt the classes were the priority, but I didn’t want to miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In a rare moment of rebellion, I stayed home to attempt the quiz instead of going to class. Fortunately, my risk paid off— 𝐈 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝟓𝐭𝐡 in the rankings!
On 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟏𝐭𝐡, at 5:00 AM, I joined 166 other students as we boarded a plane to Chennai. After some sightseeing at Phoenix Mall and Marina Beach, we travelled to Tada, Andhra Pradesh, to rest.
The next day, on 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟐𝐭𝐡 at 9:00 AM, we left for ISRO. I was jumping with excitement 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 a satellite launch. After passing through heavy security, we received our passes for the Launch Viewing Gallery (LVG), which the institution had pre-booked for us. Inside, we explored an exhibition of various rockets and satellites.
Finally, the moment arrived. At 10:14 AM, we assembled at the LVG. Large screens displayed the final countdown while the public address system explained the mission details, including the launch vehicle, PSLV, and the 𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 in real time. At 𝟏𝟎:𝟏𝟓 𝐀𝐌 sharp, the PSLV was launched with a blast. The entire stadium erupted in cheers of “𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐦” and “𝐁𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐊𝐢 𝐉𝐚𝐢.” It was a sight I will never forget. We then departed from the site following the same security routes and left for Coimbatore, finally reaching Madurai on the 13th.
In conclusion, it was an amazing and thrilling experience for me. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to 𝐀𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐚 𝐌𝐚’𝐚𝐦 who has taken her time to answer all my questions about the trip and giving me an opportunity to witness the launch. Last but not least, a huge thank you to the teacher who shared the registration link in our class WhatsApp group.
Thank you