On Wednesday India became the first nation to land a craft near the Moon’s South Pole. The landing comes days after a Russian probe crashed in the same region and four years since Indian previous failed attempt at the last moment.  Back then mission control lost contact with the spacecraft Chandrayaan -2 lunar module moments before its slated landing. Wednesday’s landing had been eagerly awaited by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) after the frustrating failure of its previous attempt in 2019. This recent landing is historic triumph for India, the most populous nation in the world.

The Spacecraft landed at 6.04pm Indian time as mission control technicians cheered widely and embraced colleagues while the Prime Minister Narendra Modi smiled broadly and waved the flag on a live broadcast to announce the success of the mission saying it is a triumph that extended beyond his country’s borders. He said that Indian’s success is not for India alone but belongs to all of humanity.  

The Chandrayaan-3 meaning Moon craft has captivated public attention for six weeks after launching even with schoolchildren following the final moments of landing through live broadcasts in classrooms.

The mission has cost $74.6m far lower than other countries and a testament to the country’s frugal space engineering. The country became the first Asian nation to put a craft into orbit around Mars in 2014 and slated to launch a three-day crew mission into Earth’s Orbit next year.

Only Russia, China and America have previously achieved controlled landings on the moon. Russia’s lunar Probe, Lunar-25 crashed on Saturday after an unspecified incident as it prepared to land. If successful, it would have beaten India by a matter of days to become the first mission to make controlled landing around the South Pole. The Lunar probe was launched in August, which is said to be its first in nearly half a century.

Source: PUNCH.

Picture Credit: PUNCH.