India’s Moon-landing spacecraft makes history, brings joy to nation
India successfully landed a spacecraft near the moon’s south pole, making it the first country to do so.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi says the mission’s success “belongs to all of humanity”.
Chandrayaan-3 – “Mooncraft” in Sanskrit – took off from a launchpad in Sriharikota in southern India on July 14.
Scientists believe the south pole’s unchartered territory could hold important reserves of frozen water and precious elements.
In India, people have crowded around televisions in offices, shops, restaurants and homes to watch the moon landing live.
A lander named Vikram and a rover called Pragyan, robots from India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission, touched down on the moon just after 6 p.m. local time – a moment watched by 70 million people on the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)’s YouTube page.
“We have achieved soft landing on the moon,” said ISRO chairman S. Somanath to thunderous applause in the control room. “India is on the moon.”
The history-making event has become an immense source of pride for the country of 1.4 billion as it takes challenging steps to become a space pioneer and cement its status as a global power.
Chandrayaan-3’s success has brought together a nation struggling at a time of deep communal strife, with deadly sectarian violence flaring in pockets of the country. It presents a moment of hope and unity to millions who are revelling in ISRO’s achievement.
