Johannesburg (South Africa): After Chandrayaan-3 successfully soft landed on the Moon’s south pole on Wednesday, several world leaders congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the success of the mission at the banquet dinner during the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg. With the achievement, India becomes the first country to reach the south pole of Earth’s only natural satellite.
Members of the Indian diaspora were seen celebrating the successful landing of Chandrayaan 3, at Times Square in New York.
“Feeling the fervour all the way from Johannesburg for Chandrayaan-3! The enthusiasm of our diaspora in South Africa for India’s achievements in the space sector is truly gladdening,” PM Modi tweeted on Wednesday. The Prime Minister also shared pictures of him greeting the members of the Indian diaspora who were gathered in a Johannesburg hotel on Wednesday. Chandryaan-3 on Wednesday successfully performed a soft landing on the moon.
ISRO tweeted: “Chandrayaan-3 Mission: ‘India, I reached my destination and you too!’ Chandrayaan-3 has successfully soft-landed on the moon! Congratulations, India!” As the Vikram lander carrying the Pragyaan rover in its belly touched down on the lunar surface, it marked a giant leap in India’s spacefaring journey providing a well-deserved finale to ISRO’s long years of toil.
This makes India the fourth country – after the US, China, and Russia – to have successfully landed on the moon’s surface, it has earned a place in record books as the first to touchdown on the south side of Earth’s only natural satellite. Special screenings of the soft landing were organized across the country, including schools science centres, and public institutions.
ISRO made the live action available on the ISRO website, its YouTube channel, Facebook, and public broadcaster DD National TV.