# India became the first country in the world to land on the lunar south pole region and fourth country to land a spacecraft on the moon.
RNS: In a remarkable achievement for the Indian space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Chandrayaan-3, has successfully executed a soft landing on the South pole of the lunar surface at 6.04 PM, marking a significant leap in India’s space exploration endeavours.
With this, India on Wednesday became the first country in the world to land on the lunar south pole region and only the fourth country to land a spacecraft on the moon. The historic feat comes after months of meticulous planning and technical prowess, solidifying India’s position in the global space exploration arena.
The lunar landing module, carrying a suite of advanced scientific instruments, touched down on the Moon’s surface with precision and finesse earlier today. The event was greeted with jubilation and applause at ISRO’s Mission Control Center, where scientists and engineers closely monitored every stage of the operation.
Chandrayaan-3’s successful soft landing is a momentous achievement for India, following the challenges encountered during the Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2019. The Chandrayaan-2 mission involved an orbiter, a lander (Vikram), and a rover (Pragyan). While the orbiter continues to transmit valuable data from lunar orbit, the Vikram lander’s failure to make a soft landing was a setback for the agency. However, ISRO’s resilience and determination have now paid off with the triumphant success of Chandrayaan-3.
The mission’s multifaceted objectives aim to gather critical data about the Moon’s surface composition, mineralogy, and lunar geology. The lander is equipped with cutting-edge technology, including high-resolution cameras and scientific instruments capable of analyzing the lunar regolith.
Prime Minister Narender Modi congratulated ISRO and the dedicated team of scientists and engineers behind the Chandrayaan-3 mission. He praised their relentless efforts in a statement, saying, “Today, we have shown the world India’s prowess in space technology. The successful soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 demonstrates our commitment to advancing scientific knowledge and exploring new frontiers.”
The success of Chandrayaan-3 adds to India’s growing list of space achievements, including the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) in 2014, which made India the first Asian nation to reach Martian orbit and the fourth space agency globally to do so.
ISRO Chairman S Somnath thanked everyone for their support. He said, it was a lesson learnt from failure, and today they succeeded. He added that they are looking forward to the next 14 days from now for the Chandrayaan-3 lander and Rover on the lunar surface. The Chairman has informed that Rover Pragyan will roll down after reviewing the data availed from the lander.
The Project Director of the Chandrayaan 3 mission, P Veeramuthuvel, thanked the entire Project Chandrayaan 3 team for the success today. He said the lander had a flawless touchdown, and India demonstrated its capabilities of soft landing on the Moon.
After the soft landing of the Vikram lander on the Moon, the ISRO command centre has established the communication link between the Chandrayaan-3 Lander and MOX-ISTRAC, Bengaluru. After this, it obtained the images from the Lander Horizontal Velocity Camera taken during the descent. The pictures of the lunar surface at close proximity are tweeted by ISRO.
International space agencies and leaders have also congratulated ISRO for the milestone accomplishment. The successful soft landing opens up new avenues for collaboration in space research and exploration, fostering global scientific cooperation.
As Chandrayaan-3 begins its mission on the lunar surface, the world anticipates the groundbreaking discoveries that will undoubtedly contribute to our understanding of the Moon and beyond. This achievement reaffirms India’s commitment to space exploration and its position as a key player in the exploration of the cosmos.
Meanwhile, the international community today lauded Team ISRO and India for successfully landing Chandrayan 3. President of Sri Lanka India Society thanks ISRO for making Indians and friends of India proud.
