"India is on the Moon," were the first words of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chief S Somanath, moments after India's Chandrayaan-3 made a successful soft landing on the surface of the Moon at 6:04 pm on Wednesday, 23 August.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also watched the landing live from the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Here are the highlights from India's historic landing the Moon.
India has become the fourth country to land on the Moon, joining an elite club of countries like the United States, Russia, and China.
India has also become the first nation to land on the Moon's South Pole.
"India’s successful Moon mission is not India’s alone. This is a year in which the world is witnessing India’s G20 presidency. Our approach of 'One Earth, One Family, One Future' is resonating across the globe," PM Modi said soon after the landing.
"This moment is precious and unprecedented. This moment blows the victory bugle of a new India. This moment is the strength of 1.4 billion heartbeats," he added.
"The unsuccessful attempt made it possible for us to achieve this feat. We are excited. As PM said, this is just the beginning. This is not just for Chandrayan-3 but for all other future missions. Thanks to everyone for your prayers, excitement and love for the nation. This success is dedicated to all of you. The next mission is Gaganyaan. We are targeting to have it in September or in the first week of October. The rover will come out in a few hours. Sometimes, it takes a day also. Once the rover comes out, it will do two experiments," ISRO Chief S Somnath said moments after the landing.
The Vikram lander and Pragyan rover of the Chadrayaan-3 are carrying a total of seven payloads with it. These payloads help in the safe landing, rover exploration, and scientific experiments on the Moon. The results of these experiments will be sent to Earth for further analysis. You can know more about it here.
Hours after the landing, ISRO also released some images of the Moon taken by the Lander Horizontal Velocity Camera on Vikram during its descent towards the natural satellite.
The Pragyan rover which will be used to probe the lunar surface, fully exited the belly of the Vikram lander on Thursday morning, 24 August, ISRO tweeted.
"First photo of Rover coming out of the lander on the ramp," IN-SPACe chairman Pawan Goenka tweeted.
(Photo Courtesy: X/@GoenkaPk)
What Next?
The 'Pragyan' rover and Vikram lander will have the next 14 Earth days (or one lunar day) to carry out experiments and relay the data back to ISRO mission control, according to a report by Hindustan Times.
The 14 Earth days after that will see extreme cold weather on the Moon, during which both the rover and the lander will reportedly become inactive. They were built to last for a duration of 14 days and will stay on the Moon, the report added.
However, there is a possibility of Pragyan and Vikram coming back to life when the Sun shines on the lunar surface again.
'Sky Is Not the Limit', 'Momentous Occasion': Reactions on Successful Landing
Leaders from across the country celebrated Chandrayaan-3's successful landing by congratulating ISRO.
"There are days when history is made. Today, with the successful moon landing of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, our scientists have not only made history, but also remade the idea of geography! It is truly a momentous occasion, the kind of event that happens once in a lifetime, making all Indians proud. I congratulate ISRO and everybody involved in this mission and wish them greater accomplishment ahead," President Droupadi Murmu tweeted.
"While the world fantasises about the moon, we have actually felt the moon...the world dreams of the moon, and we have seen the dream getting converted into reality…sky is not the limit."Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh
Emphasising the importance of Chandrayaan-3, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said, "The success of the lunar mission places India in a select group of nations to have successfully achieved the landing on the lunar surface. It is more significant because India is the only nation to achieve the lunar landing on the south pole of the Moon."
"The success of Chandrayaan3 is the collective success of every Indian. An elated nation with 140 crore aspirations witnessed today yet another achievement in its six-decade long space programme."Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge
In a letter addressed to ISRO Chief Somanath, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi wrote, "This is to let you know how thrilled I was by ISRO's magnificent achievement last evening. It is a matter of great pride and excitement to all Indians, particularly the younger generation."
Many international leaders also congratulated India on its historic achievement.
Congratulating PM Modi and President Murmu, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, "Please, accept my heartfelt congratulations on the occasion of the successful landing of the Indian space station Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon near its South Pole. This is a big step forward in space exploration and certainly a testament to the impressive progress made by India in the area of science and technology. Kindly convey my sincere congratulations and best wishes for new achievements to the leadership and staff of the Indian Space Research Organization."
"Congratulations ISRO on your successful Chandrayaan-3 lunar South Pole landing! And congratulations to India on being the 4th country to successfully soft-land a spacecraft on the Moon. We’re glad to be your partner on this mission!" said NASA administrator Bill Nelson.
Meanwhile, Google CEO Sundar Pichai hailed the Chandrayaan-3 landing as an "incredible moment" in a tweet to which SpaceX boss Elon Musk replied, "Super cool!"
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