New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated India’s space agency Wednesday after the country’s third moon mission made a historic landing on the lunar south pole – a first for any country.
“We are witness to the new flight of new India, new history has been written,” Modi said in his address after Chandrayaan-3 lander Vikram’s smooth touchdown.
Moments after the expected landing at 6.04 pm, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S. Somanath told Modi, “Sir, we have achieved soft-landing on the moon. India is on the moon!”
Modi, who was virtually watching the landing operation from Johannesburg, clapped as Somanath gave him the good news.
ISRO also put out a playful post from Chandrayaan-3 on X: “’India, I reached my destination and you too!”
“My dear family, when we see such history in the making, then our lives are blessed. This historic moment is unforgettable and phenomenal,” the Prime Minister said, adding this was a moment to cherish forever.
“No other country has been able to land on this side of the moon before and this will change all narratives about it,” Modi said.
Modi added India’s successful moon mission was not India’s alone. “This is a year in which the world is witnessing India’s G20 presidency. Our approach of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ is resonating across the globe. This human-centric approach that we present and represent has been welcomed universally. Our moon mission is also based on the same human-centric approach,” the Prime Minister said from Johannesburg where he is attending the 15th BRICS Summit.
Modi said India had now set new and ambitious targets for the future, speaking about missions to explore the sun and other planets.
India’s ambitious Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully landed its aircraft Vikram on the moon’s south pole Wednesday, an accomplishment that announced the country as a major space power and brought the world closer to understanding lunar water ice – potentially the moon’s most-valuable resource.
Chandrayaan-3’s lander module Vikram made the historic touchdown on the lunar surface at 6.04 pm, making India the first country to claim a southern pole landing – a treacherous region full of craters and deep trenches.
India has also become only the fourth country to send an uncrewed craft to the moon’s surface after the US, China and erstwhile USSR.
Also read: Biannual board exams, focus on practicals — National Curriculum Framework for school education