'Shiv Shakti', 'Tiranga': How Are Spots On The Moon Named

Chandrayaan-3 made a historic touchdown at the Moon's south pole on August 23. The monumental lunar mission success made India the first country in the world to land on the South Pole. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the landing site of the lander Vikram would be known as Shiv Shakti Point. 

Additionally, it was also announced that the area where Chandrayaan-2 met with an accident in 2019 will be named Tiranga Point.

The announcement came when PM Modi was at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) headquarters in Bengaluru to congratulate the brilliant minds behind Chandrayaan-3. Making the announcement, PM Modi said, “In general, there has been a tradition across the world with such kinds of successful missions, to give a name to that point.” 

No One Owns The Moon

No one owns the Moon thanks to the Moon Treaty or the Outer Space Treaty. Signed in the Cold War era, the Treaty set some common rules for space exploration. This Treaty came at a time when the USA and Soviet Union were racing against time to beat each other in achievement across fields, including space exploration.

As per Article II of the Treaty,  “Outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means.”

How Are Landing Sites Named On The Moon

Given that no one owns it or has jurisdiction over it, can anyone name a point on the Moon? The answer is yes, thanks to the International Astronomical Union (IAU) founded in 1919.  

It serves an important role in establishing regulations for space activities, with India being one of its 92 member countries. 

The IAU serves as the central organisation responsible for establishing standardised names for celestial entities. Its responsibilities encompass the management of an executive committee, divisions, commissions, and collaborative working groups composed of astronomers from around the globe. 

According to its website, "The IAU has held authority over the naming of planets and their moons since its establishment in 1919."

The IAU also states, “When the first images of the surface of a planet or satellite are obtained, new themes for naming features are chosen and names of a few important features are proposed, usually by the appropriate IAU Task Group in collaboration with the mission team.”

According to late scientist Paul D. Spudis, the “informal practice of naming landmarks was common during the Apollo missions” followed by NASA, despite the international body “not having the authority to assign names to features on the Moon”.

“Names were given to the small craters and mountains near each landing site (e.g., Shorty, St. George, Stone Mountain) but official names were used as well (e.g., Hadley Rille).  NASA adopts informal names for the same reason that names are given to geographical features on Earth – as shorthand to refer to landmarks and other mapped features,” he wrote in the Smithsonian Magazine.

ISRO Chief K Somnath also spoke about the naming of the landing site at the press conference on Sunday. He said, "The country has every right to name the landing site. The naming of the landing site is not the first incident. Several Indian names are already there on the Moon. We have a Sarabhai crater on the Moon. Other countries have also named places related to their scientific accomplishment. All places related to even minor experiments would be named. That is a tradition."