The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced the successful landing of its Chandrayaan-3 Lander Module on the surface of the Moon. The soft landing marked India's pursuit of space exploration which reached a remarkable milestone with India becoming the fourth country to land on the moon and the first on the south pole, with Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft.

Chandrayaan-3 launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC SHAR) in Sriharikota Range, India, on 14 July 2023 on a mission to demonstrate new technologies and to achieve India’s first soft landing on another celestial body.

The spacecraft arrived in lunar orbit on 5 August. On 17 August, the lander module separated from the propulsion module and soon after began its descent to the surface. On 23 August, after a nail-biting wait, ISRO confirmed that Chandrayaan-3’s lander had successfully touched down in the Moon’s southern polar region as planned.

The image above shows a portion of Chandrayaan-3's landing site. Seen also is a leg and its accompanying shadow. Chandrayaan-3 chose a relatively flat region on the lunar surface.

Chandrayaan-3 consists of an indigenous Lander module (LM), a Propulsion module (PM), and a Rover with the objective of developing and demonstrating new technologies required for Interplanetary missions. The Lander and the Rover have scientific payloads to carry out experiments on the lunar surface.

"I once again congratulate the ISRO team and all fellow citizens for the successful deployment of Pragyan-rover from inside Vikram-lander. Its rolling out a few hours after the landing of Vikram marked the success of yet another stage of Chandrayan 3. I look forward with excitement, alongside my fellow citizens and scientists to the information and analyses that Pragyan will acquire and enrich our understanding of the moon", said Droupadi Murmu, President of India.

The lander will soon deploy its rover. During its mission on the surface, which will last for one lunar day (14 days on Earth), the rover will carry out a number of scientific experiments.

This achievement marks a significant step forward for Indian Science, Engineering, Technology, and Industry, symbolizing the nation's progress in space exploration.

Click here to learn more about ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 Moon Mission.