India Becomes First to Successfully Land Spacecraft on Moon's South Pole

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) - India becomes the first in the world to successfully land a spacecraft — Chandrayaan-3 module with a lunar rover on board — on the South Pole of the Moon, according to the footage broadcast by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on Wednesday.

India's Moon mission was launched on July 14, and it entered the lunar orbit on August 5. The station will conduct several maneuvers to approach the Moon until its orbit decreases to 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Moon. The Chandrayaan-3's landing module Vikram separated from the station on August 17 and previously conducted two operations to lower its orbit.

The successful touch-down of the Chandrayaan-3 mission’s lander on the Moon will help lunar missions of other countries in the future, Indian Prime Minister stated.

Modi expressed confidence that all countries of the world, including the Global South, are capable of achieving such results.

Chandrayaan-3 deployed its Vikram lander on Wednesday morning, which successfully touched down near the Moon’s South Pole. Additionally, Vikram brought a rover called Pragyan with a battery life of 14 Earth days or one lunar day.

The successful landing makes India the fourth country to arrive on the Moon after the United States, the Soviet Union, and the People’s Republic of China.

Russia’s Roscosmos Congratulates India on Successful Moon Landing

Russia’s space agency Roscosmos on Wednesday congratulated India on the successful Moon landing, adding that the research of its mission is important for the whole humanity.

"The Roscosmos State Corporation congratulates Indian colleagues on the successful moon landing of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft. Exploration of the moon is important for all mankind, in the future it may become a platform for deep space exploration," Roscosmos said in a statement.