India's Chandrayaan-3 has successfully touched down on the moon's southern pole, positioning India as the fourth nation to execute a gentle landing on the lunar terrain, following the United States, China, and the former Soviet Union.
"India is on the Moon," announced ISRO chief S Somanath as Chandrayaan 3 lander module Vikram made soft and safe landing.
"Success of Chandrayaan-3 gives us the confidence to undertake more challenging future missions," Somnath said.
"'India, I reached my destination and you too!' : Chandrayaan-3," ISRO tweeted right after the successful landing.
"This is the work of a generation of ISRO leadership and scientists. This is a journey we started with Chandrayaan-1, continued with Chandrayaan-2, and all the team that contributed to building Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2 should be remembered and thanked while we celebrate Chandrayaan-3," S Somanath said.
In anticipation of this monumental lunar landing, festivities and prayers resonated fervently across the nation. The historic event is being broadcasted live on ISRO's website. The Chandrayaan-3 mission was initiated on July 14 from Sriharikota.
Initiating its descent, the Vikram lander approached the moon's surface at a velocity of 1.68 km per second. Subsequently, it decelerated before commencing a powered vertical descent onto the lunar terrain.
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