India on the Moon as Chandrayaan-3's Vikram makes perfect landing on lunar surface

In a monumental achievement, India's lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3, has secured a historic milestone with a perfect touchdown on the Moon's surface. This accomplishment marks India's second endeavor towards lunar landing, and it has manifested in the most remarkable manner.

At 6:04 pm on August 23, the Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission successfully executed a semless soft landing, etching a historic chapter for India.

India has become the only country to land on the southern pole of the Earth's only natural satellite.

In 2019, the Vikram lander of Chandrayaan-2 had met an unfortunate fate, encountering a crash during its descent owing to technical glitches. However, this time around, ISRO was thoroughly prepared to ensure a secure and successful landing.

ISRO's head, S Somnath, expressed gratitude to all Indians and the dedicated ISRO team members who contributed to the triumph of Chandrayaan-3.

Following the safe landing of Chandrayaan-3, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who monitored the event from South Africa, lauded this historic accomplishment.

Unveiling the mission

Announced during the 108th Indian Science Congress in January 2023, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) unveiled its blueprint for launching the Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission by June 2023. Emerging from the backdrop of Chandrayaan 2's unfortunate lunar crash in 2019, Chandrayaan-3 had been a source of great anticipation. Keeping to its planned trajectory, Chandrayaan-3 was successfully launched on July 14, 2023, at 2:35 pm IST from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre Second Launch Pad in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

Central to the Chandrayaan-3 mission is its autonomous Lander module, named Vikram, engineered with meticulous precision for a controlled and gentle lunar landing at a predetermined site.

Claiming the fourth spot on the Moon

With the smooth lunar touchdown of Chandrayaan-3, India now joins the ranks of nations to successfully reach the Moon, following the footsteps of the US, China, and the Soviet Union. Interestingly, Russia's Luna-25 had set its sights on a lunar landing on August 20, 2023. Unfortunately, the spacecraft lost control and crash-landed.

Exploring the Vikram Lander

The LVM3 spacecraft comprises two pivotal segments: the propulsion module and the lander rover unit. The propulsion module's primary function is transporting the lander rover payload to the Moon.

Echoing Chandrayaan-2, the lander is christened Vikram, while the rover is designated Pragyan. As the Moon draws near, the lander detaches from the propulsion module, gently descending to the lunar surface.

Reactions on the success

Several celebreties and ministers expressed their joy and excitement upon the soft landing of Chandrayaan-3.

ALSO READ: Chandrayaan-3 soft landing - As it happened 

ALSO READ: Decoding the soft landing process of Chandrayaan-3