India Achieves Historic Moon Landing at the South Pole with Chandrayaan-3.
In a monumental accomplishment for the world's most populous nation and its determined, cost-effective space program, India has become the first country to land a craft near the Moon's south pole successfully.
The unmanned Chandrayaan-3, meaning "Mooncraft" in Sanskrit, touched down at 6:04 pm India time (1234 GMT) amid exuberant cheers and embraces among mission control technicians.
This achievement follows recent incidents, including a Russian probe's crash in the same region. It also marks four years since India's previous attempt came close to success but ultimately fell short.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, brimming with pride, announced the mission's triumph in a live broadcast. He waved an Indian flag and extended the victory's significance beyond national borders, saying, "On this joyous occasion, I would like to address the people of the world... This success belongs to all of humanity."
The Chandrayaan-3 endeavour captured global attention over its nearly six-week journey, watched by thousands during its launch and fervently hoped for during Hindu prayer rituals performed by politicians. Schoolchildren were engaged in classrooms, following live broadcasts of the landing's critical moments.
Compared to the speedy Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s, Chandrayaan-3 took a significantly longer journey to reach the Moon, underscoring the meticulous efforts behind this remarkable achievement.
