India has achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first country to successfully land a spacecraft near the Moon’s south pole.
The unmanned Chandrayaan-3 mission accomplished this feat, marking a major achievement for India’s cost-effective space program. The landing took place at 6:04 pm India time, following a previous failed attempt four years ago and amidst a recent Russian probe crash in the same region.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated the success, highlighting its global significance and extending the achievement beyond national borders.
Chandrayaan-3’s journey garnered widespread attention, with political figures and schoolchildren alike invested in its progress.
The mission’s cost of $74.6 million underscores India’s ability to conduct advanced space missions at relatively lower expenses. The achievement builds on India’s prior successes, including the 2014 Mars orbiter mission, and aligns with its plans for a crewed mission in Earth’s orbit.
The landing not only brings India closer to the ranks of space powers like the United States, Russia, and China, which have previously achieved controlled Moon landings, but also contributes to scientific knowledge by exploring the relatively uncharted lunar south pole.
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