India becomes first country to land on moon’s south pole

India has become the first country to land a spacecraft near the moon’s South Pole as its team of space experts successfully completed the mission on Wednesday.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14, 2023, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India.

The spacecraft consists of a lander, a rover, and an orbiter.

The lander, Vikram, successfully touched down on the lunar surface at 18:04 India time (12:34 UTC).

The rover, Pragyan, will be deployed from the lander in the coming days to explore the surrounding area.

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The moon’s south pole is a region that has been relatively unexplored by spacecraft.

This is because it is constantly in shadow, making it difficult to see and land on. However, the South Pole is also thought to be rich in water ice, which could be a valuable resource for future space exploration.

Narendra Modi, India’s Prime Minister said the accomplishment “belongs to all of humanity,” according to Aljazeera.