India made history on Wednesday as its Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully landed at the Moon’s south pole – just days after Russia’s own attempt crashed spectacularly.
The region is thought to hold vital reserves of ice and precious elements, making it of particular importance for establishing long-term human habitation and onward interplanetary travel.
A hushed silence fell over mission control in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru as the lander began its autonomous 30-minute descent, those on the ground unable to help if anything went wrong. However, the quiet was swiftly broken by cheers and applause as the lander, named Vikram, safely touched down.
Thousands had prayed on Tuesday for the success of the mission, with oil lamps on river banks, temples and religious places, including the holy city of Varanasi in northern India.
Success means India becomes the fourth country to complete a ‘soft’ landing on the Moon – rather than crashing – joining the former Soviet Union, the US and China.
The country’s prime minister Narendra Modi was seen on a livestream into the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) control room, smiling and waving an Indian flag as Chandrayaan-3 landed.
‘India is now on the Moon,’ he said, adding the success ‘is not just India’s alone’, and it will help future Moon missions by all countries.
‘I’m confident that all countries of the world, including those from the global south, are capable of achieving such feats,’ he said.
‘We can all aspire for the Moon and beyond.’
The latest Chandrayaan mission – which means Moon craft in Sanskrit – launched from Sriharikota in southern India on July 14. After orbiting Earth for a fortnight, it journeyed on to the Moon, reaching lunar orbit on August 5.
As its name suggests, Chandrayaan-3 is India’s third mission to the Moon. The first enjoyed significant success, playing a vital role in the discovery of water molecules. However, it stopped communicating after less than 11 months, having been scheduled to operate for two years.
Chandrayaan-2 suffered a similar fate to Luna 25, crashing onto the Moon after communication was lost about 2km above the surface.
The Vikram lander now on the Moon is carrying a 26kg lunar rover called Pragyaan, the Sanskrit word for wisdom.
‘This achievement marks a significant step forward for Indian science, engineering, technology, and industry, symbolising our nation’s progress in space exploration,’ said ISRO in a statement.
It said a successful Chandrayaan-3 landing would be monumental in fuelling curiosity and sparking a passion for exploration among youth.
‘It generates a profound sense of pride and unity as we collectively celebrate the prowess of Indian science and technology. It will contribute to fostering an environment of scientific inquiry and innovation.’
Professor Anu Ojha, championing space director at the UK Space Agency, said: ‘Congratulations to India on this amazing feat of engineering and perseverance.
‘The successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 in the southern polar region of the Moon is further evidence that we are living in a new space age, with space agencies and companies across the world setting their sights on the Moon and beyond.
‘This current crop of missions are focused on new areas of opportunity – there are important scientific discoveries to be made about the presence of water on the lunar surface, which could support humans to live and work there for extended periods of time.
‘The UK Space Agency is committed to supporting these international efforts and putting UK science and technology at the heart of some of the most exciting global exploration missions, for the benefit of our planet and its people.’
Before the launch, SpaceX founder Elon Musk posted ‘Good for India!’ after learning the mission is reported to have cost less than the budget for the film Interstellar at $75 million compared to $165m.
Today’s Moon landing is the third attempt this year. In April, Japan’s ispace attempted to become the first private company to land on the Moon, but its M1 lander ran out of fuel during the descent, crashing to the surface.
Russia launched its own attempt, Luna-25, on August 11 – its first Moon mission in 47 years. Entering a new space race, the country hoped to land in the south pole region on Monday, overtaking Chandrayaan-3, but crashed at the weekend after falling into an uncontrolled orbit.
Russia’s head of the state-controlled space corporation Roscosmos attributed the failure to the lack of expertise due to the long break in lunar research that followed the last Soviet mission to the Moon in 1976.
Other countries, including the US, have their sights set on the lunar south pole, with Nasa pledging to begging excavating Moon soil in 2032.
With nuclear-armed India emerging as the world’s fifth-largest economy last year, Mr Modi’s nationalist government is eager to showcase India’s rising standing as a technology and space powerhouse.
A successful Moon mission dovetails with his image of an ascendant India asserting its place among the global elite and will help bolster his popularity ahead of a crucial general election next year.
The anticipation for a successful landing rose after Russia’s failed attempt and as India’s regional rival, China, reaches for new milestones in space.
In May, China launched a three-person crew for its orbiting space station and hopes to put astronauts on the Moon before the end of the decade.
Relations between India and China have plunged since deadly border clashes in 2020.
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