India Moon landing: Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft lands near south pole

India became the first country to land a spacecraft near the moon’s South Pole, marking a moment of history for the country. The event took place in a tense final six minutes, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi being beamed onto a screen to watch the landing. The success of India’s moon mission is not just unique to India but also reflects the country’s G20 presidency and its human-centric approach. The success of India’s moon mission will help other countries in the future, and the Prime Minister is confident that all countries, including those from the global south, can achieve similar feats. The event also brings India up to the elite club of just four countries to have made a soft landing on the moon, demonstrating India’s commitment to cost-competitive space engineering. India has recently opened up the space industry for private players, aiming to make the space economy a larger portion and expand its reach.

India’s space program has seen a significant increase in startups entering the space sector in just three years, highlighting the potential for growth in the space economy and job creation. The landing in the South near the South Pole is a historic moment for India and the world, as it demonstrates India’s contribution to space research. The next step is for Lander and Rover to spend one lunar day on the moon’s South Pole, collecting data, evidence, craters, moonquakes, information, and water. This is considered one of the most valuable assets on the moon, which scientists believe will pave the way for human habitation in the future. The mission is a failure-oriented mission, allowing for potential failures and supporting future lunar explorations. This achievement is important for India as it demonstrates the growing sophistication and maturity of the space program, which initially excluded interplanetary or deep space missions like Chandrayanan.

India has developed advanced capabilities in space communication and deep space communication, demonstrating the validation of advanced technologies developed by the data space agency. These complex missions are challenging due to the potential for last-minute issues, as seen in recent missions like the Russian Mission Lunar 25 and the Israeli firm’s Chandra. India’s mission, which cost close to $150 million, is a technology demonstrator rather than a large scientific mission. India’s soft landing on the southern pole of the Moon aims to expand the humanities’ understanding of the lunar surface, including the study of rocks, chemicals, and water ice. This has been an area of curiosity for the scientific community worldwide, including the Indian scientific community and ISRO. India’s space program has been cost-effective and capable of undertaking complex missions, establishing it as a credible space power. The next step is to deploy a smaller vehicle, the Rover, across the moon’s surface after the dust settles around the landing site.