Chandrayaan-3: India becomes the first country to land a spacecraft on moon's south pole

The challenge of achieving a soft landing near the moon's southern pole became evident over the weekend as Russia crashed its Luna-25 rocket within the same region

India has become the first country to successfully land a spacecraft on the moon's south pole.

The Vikram lander of Chandrayaan-3 made a perfect touchdown as planned at 18:04 local time (12:34 GMT) on Wednesday.

Chandrayaan-3 was launched in mid-July, and the spacecraft entered the moon's orbit on 5th August.

On Wednesday, people across India crowded around televisions in shops, offices, restaurants and residences, all eager to witness the live telecast of the moon landing.

Around 17:45 local time (12:15 GMT), Chandrayaan-3's braking engines were activated at an altitude of approximately 29.15 km, initiating the powered descent towards the lunar surface.

Upon descending to an altitude of about 7.3 km, the spacecraft temporarily halted its descent for approximately 10 seconds, allowing for a precise alignment with the designated landing site.

After this alignment, the spacecraft resumed its controlled descent under computer guidance, beaming a steady stream of images that documented its gradual approach to the lunar surface below.

Cheers and applause erupted among engineers, mission managers, dignitaries and guests present at the control centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as the spacecraft landed on the moon.

"We have achieved soft landing on the moon," said ISRO chairman Shri Somanath. "Yes, on the moon!"

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said "India is now on the Moon." Modi was witnessing the event live while in South Africa, where he is participating in the BRICS summit.

The flawless automated landing has elevated India's rapidly advancing space programme to the status of a "space superpower." It has now become the fourth country, after the United States, China and the former Soviet Union, to achieve the feat of successfully landing a functional spacecraft on the moon, and the first to reach the south pole region.

The challenge of achieving a soft landing near the moon's southern pole became evident over the weekend, as Russia experienced a crash of its Luna-25 rocket within the same region. The crash highlighted the challenges involved and left the opportunity for India to establish a new benchmark in lunar exploration.

In April, the Japanese company ispace encountered a setback when their attempt to land an unmanned lander was unsuccessful.

Chandrayaan-3, which has been designed to function throughout an entire lunar "day" spanning two weeks, consists of solar-powered "Vikram" lander and a six-wheeled rover dubbed "Pragyan".

Both the lander and the rover are equipped with five scientific instruments, which are poised to investigate the physical attributes of the moon's surface, analyse the adjacent atmospheric conditions, and investigate tectonic activities to gain insights into the sub-surface phenomena.

The southern pole stands notably distant from the lunar region that has been the focal point of the majority of past missions, including the historic Apollo crewed landings decades ago.

This region has exceptionally rugged topography, characterised by deep trenches and an abundance of craters.

It is believed that the shadowed craters at the moon's south pole harbour deposits of water ice that could support the establishment of a future moon base, enabling astronauts and researchers to conduct extended operations.

Should the presence of ice be confirmed, it holds the promise of serving as a resource for fuel and oxygen as well as potable water.

Additionally, it could offer valuable insights into the history of lunar volcanoes and contribute to our understanding of the origins of Earth's oceans.