India Just Landed On The Moon Mere Days After Russian Ship Crashes

For the first time ever, India’s space agency has landed on the Moon. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) confirmed on Wednesday that its Chandrayaan-3 Mission has succeeded in its bid to land an uncrewed craft on the Moon.

The craft landed on the unexplored south pole of the Moon, and the timing is significant. Just days ago, a Russian lander trying to land in a similar spot crashed on the way down.

“This moment is unforgettable. It is phenomenal. This is a victory cry of a new India,” Indi Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, as reported by Reuters.

You can see the moment that the craft landed on the Moon in the video below, at around 44:45. It’s a nice moment to see all the engineers and workers launch into jubilation as the ship touches down.

No nation or private company has ever landed a human or a craft on the south pole of the moon. It’s believed there is ice on this part of the moon that could be used for drinking water and to create oxygen, which is part of the reason why countries like Russia and India wanted to get there first.

Before this, only the US, China, and the Soviet Union had landed on the Moon. India’s successful Moon landing is expected to help further legitimize the country’s space agency and to help accelerate interest and funding for it. The country has a crewed mission in the works.

In other space news, four astronauts are headed to the International Space Station on a SpaceX spacecraft for a mission set to take off on August 25.