‘India Is on the Moon’: Lander’s Success Moves Nation to Next Space Chapter

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The Chandrayaan-3 mission makes India the first country to reach the lunar south polar region in one piece and adds to the achievements of the country’s homegrown space program.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission makes India the first country to reach the lunar south polar region in one piece and adds to the achievements of the country’s homegrown space program.

Two visitors from India — a lander named Vikram and a rover named Pragyan — landed in the southern polar region of the moon on Wednesday. The two robots, from a mission named Chandrayaan-3, make India the first country to ever reach this part of the lunar surface in one piece — and only the fourth country ever to land on the moon.

“We have achieved soft landing on the moon,” S. Somanath, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization, said after a roar ripped through the ISRO compound just past 6 p.m. local time. “India is on the moon.” » | Hari Kumar, Alex Travelli, Mujib Mashal and Kenneth Chang | Hari Kumar and Alex Travelli reported from Bengaluru, India, near the Chandrayaan-3 mission control. | Wednesday, August 23, 2023