India creates history with moon landing

India yesterday became the first nation to land a spacecraft on the moon’s south pole, days after a Russian probe crashed in the same region.

The latest attempted moon landing was a historic moment for the world’s most populous nation.

Chandrayaan-3, which means “Mooncraft” in Sanskrit, touched down shortly after 6 p.m. India time (1230 GMT) near the little-explored lunar south pole.

A previous Indian effort failed in 2019, and the latest attempt comes just days after Russia’s first moon mission in almost 50 years, destined for the same region, crashed on the lunar surface.

Indian Premier Narendra Modi in a tweet said: “Historic day for India’s space sector. Congratulations to ISRO for the remarkable success of Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission.”

Celebrations have broken out across the country, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying “India is now on the Moon”.

“We have reached where no other country could. It’s a joyous occasion,” he added. Modi was watching the event live from South Africa where he is attending the BRICS summit according to the BBC. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated India for an “impressive” achievement for landing its probe on the moon, days after Moscow’s own mission crashed.

Putin sent his “heartfelt congratulations” to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi according to the Kremlin’s website.

“This is a big step forward in space exploration and, of course, a testament to the impressive progress made by India in the field of science and technology,” the Kremlin statement read.