India’s Triumphal Moon Landing
© ISRO
Yes, you have read that right – India just landed on the moon! Today, we embark on a fascinating journey through the cosmos, as we celebrate India’s first moon landing. An accomplishment that inspires the wonder of space exploration.
This makes India the 4th nation to achieve this feat, ranking behind Interkosmos from The Soviet Union, NASA from the United States, and lastly, CNSA from China. Not only that, but a day after India made history by achieving the first-ever lunar landing near the south pole, India’s Moon rover has now taken its initial steps on the lunar surface.
India Moon Landing Announcement
On August 23, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft made a successful soft landing near the moon’s south pole. This achievement is a significant milestone for India, making it the fourth country in the world to achieve a lunar landing, following the United States, the former Soviet Union, and China.
The historic touchdown was confirmed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) at 8:33 a.m. ET (1233 GMT or 6:03 p.m. India Standard Time). ISRO Chairman Sreedhara Somanath proudly announced:
“We have achieved a soft landing on the moon! India is on the moon!”
First Confirmation of the Successful Moon Landing
On August 21 and 22, while still in lunar orbit, Chandrayaan-3 made contact with Chandrayaan-2’s orbiter, a vital communication link with Earth for the mission. However, on August 23 when the sun illuminated the chosen landing site on the moon, mission control in Bengaluru, ISRO’s headquarters, initiated the descent of the lander to the lunar surface using its fully automatic landing system.
Not the First Attempt for an Indian Moon Landing
Chandrayaan-3 marked India’s second attempt to land near the moon’s south pole. This area is of great interest to scientists and explorers due to its potential water ice reserves for future space missions. India’s first lunar landing endeavor in September 2019 failed due to a software glitch.
After almost four years of improvements in design and software, Chandrayaan-3 launched on July 14 atop an LVM3 rocket from Sriharikota, India’s east coast. It recently achieved an elliptical lunar orbit and underwent maneuvers. It has also settled into a nearly circular path approximately 93 miles (150 kilometers) above the moon’s surface.
This remarkable achievement marks a significant milestone for the country and its space agency, ISRO. The landing on the lunar surface is a testament to India’s dedication to space exploration and its growing presence in the global space community. It opens up exciting possibilities for future lunar missions and scientific discoveries.
