Scientists and officials applauded, cheered and hugged as the spacecraft landed, as the government now seeks to stimulate investment in private space launches and satellite-related businesses.
“India is on the Moon”said S. Somanath, head of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), when Chandrayaan-3 landed on the lunar south pole.
It is the second Indian attempt to land a spacecraft on the Moon and comes less than a week after the failure of the Russian Luna-25 mission. People from all over the country were glued to television screens and prayed as the ship descended.
Chandrayaan means “moon vehicle” in Hindi and Sanskrit. In 2019, ISRO’s Chandrayaan-2 mission successfully deployed an orbiter, but its lander crashed.
Chandrayaan-3 is expected to remain operational for two weeks, conducting a series of experiments including analyzing the mineral composition of the lunar surface with a spectrometer.
The rugged terrain makes landing at the South Pole difficult and a first moon landing is historic. The region’s ice could supply fuel, oxygen and drinking water for future missions.