- Chandrayaan-3 rover rolls onto moon's surface as ecstatic India celebrates

India’s Chandrayaan-3 moon rover has successfully landed on the lunar surface, marking a historic achievement for the country. The spacecraft touched down on the unexplored south pole of the moon, making India the first country to accomplish this feat. The soft landing was met with widespread celebration and jubilation in India. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced the successful landing on social media, stating that the rover had two instruments for conducting experiments on the moon’s element and chemical composition. The mission is also significant for future exploration and path planning exercises. This mission, with a budget of 6.15 billion rupees ($75 million), is India’s second attempt to land on the moon, following the Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2019, which successfully deployed an orbiter but experienced a lander crash. Chandrayaan-3 is expected to remain operational for two weeks, utilizing its solar-powered equipment. The south pole of the moon is particularly valuable due to its water ice, which can potentially provide resources for future missions. The successful landing has generated immense excitement and pride in India, with millions of people tuning in to watch the event live. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his pride in the achievement and highlighted its significance for Indian scientists. Indian newspapers hailed the landing as a major scientific achievement and a testament to the country’s space engineering capabilities. Overall, the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon has elevated India’s status as a space power and garnered international recognition.