Indian spacecraft successfully landed on the moon: this is the first landing on the south pole of the Earth's satellite

India becomes the fourth country to land on the moon. On August 23, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft landed safely on the unexplored south pole of the moon, reports CNBC.

Photo: IStock

The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft was launched last month and landed on the surface of the moon at around 8:34 am ET. "Chandrayan" means "moon ship" in Hindi and Sanskrit.

This feat makes India the fourth country to land on the moon and the first to land on one of the lunar poles. Previously, the Soviet Union, the United States and China have successfully landed spacecraft on the moon. Almost 7 million people watched the live broadcast on YouTube.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi watched the landing live from Johannesburg, where he is attending the 15th annual BRICS Emerging Markets Summit.

On the subject: Scientists warn of the threat of 'time-traveling pathogens': they can greatly harm people and the planet

“This moment is unforgettable. He is phenomenal. This is the victory cry of the new India,” said the Prime Minister, waving the Indian flag.

“All the people of the world, people of all countries and regions: the success of India's mission to the moon belongs not only to India. This success belongs to all mankind,” Modi said, speaking on the Indian Space Research Organization webcast.

“We can all aim for the moon and beyond,” Modi added.

South Pole of the Moon

The South Pole of the Moon has become an object of research interest due to recent discoveries of traces of water ice. India previously attempted to land on the moon's south pole in September 2019, but a software glitch caused the Chandrayaan 2 mission to crash to the surface.

“The South Pole is indeed a very interesting historical, scientific and geological area that many countries are striving for and that can serve as a base for future research,” said Wendy Cobb, professor of strategy and security studies at the US Air Force School of Advanced Air and space studies.

Cobb added that the discovery of water at the Moon's south pole is "really important for future research" as it could serve as a source of fuel for rockets and spacecraft.

The rugged terrain makes it difficult to land at the south pole, and the first landing is of historic importance. Chandrayaan-3 is expected to be operational for two weeks after conducting a series of experiments, including a spectrometric analysis of the mineral composition of the lunar surface. Reuters. Lunokhod will take several hours or days to leave the spacecraft.

Days before Chandrayaan 3 landed, Russia attempted to land its first spacecraft on the Moon in nearly 50 years. But on August 19, the Luna 25 mission crashed into the lunar surface, and the Russian space agency Roscosmos confirmed that the spacecraft was out of control.

Earlier this year, Japan's Ispace's first landing attempt also failed in the final minutes.

In the US, NASA has mostly turned to companies to conduct these kinds of robotic exploration missions. The agency has instead focused most of its own efforts on the Artemis manned spaceflight program to the moon.

Houston-based Intuitive Machines plans to launch its first cargo mission to the Moon in November, while Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic is preparing to launch its first cargo mission to the Moon next year.

Growing space power

India is increasingly seen as a leading player in space from a geopolitical perspective.

Modi visited the US in June. During the visit, he and President Joe Biden signed agreements to join the Artemis Accords and further cooperation on missions between ISRO and NASA. The space agencies are expected to work together next year to get Indian astronauts to the International Space Station.

India has also achieved more with less than its world-leading counterparts: ISRO's annual budget is only a fraction of NASA's. ISRO estimates that the Chandrayaan-2020 mission will cost approximately $3 million in 75.

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants, and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read all this on ForumDaily New York.

The mission was originally scheduled for 2021 but was delayed due to the Covid pandemic.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson congratulated ISRO on the successful landing in a post on X, the site formerly known as Twitter. “We are delighted to be your partner in this mission!” he wrote.

As ForumDaily wrote earlier:

• On August 11, Russia launched the Luna-25 automatic interplanetary station to the Moon. Her flight developed successfully, but ended badly - crash on the lunar surface.

Read also on ForumDaily:

In Ohio, a school bus was involved in an accident: one child was killed, 23 were injured

Property insurance in Florida has risen so much that homeowners went out to protest

Pig kidney has successfully taken root in the human body: it has been working for a month

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.