India becomes first country to successfully land spacecraft on moon’s south pole

India has become the first country to successfully land a spacecraft on the moon’s south pole.

Chandrayaan-3 had aimed to become the first spacecraft to touch down in a region of the lunar surface thought to contain deep craters with water ice.

It touched down six weeks after launching on board a rocket from a spaceport in Andhra Pradesh.

The successful landing was met with cheers and applause from mission control at Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined a conference call at the space centre to watch the landing, waving a small Indian flag as the spacecraft landed.

Making a triumphant speech to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), he said: “This is the heartbeat of 1.4 billion people. This is the new India, the new beginning, the new thinking of the new efforts.

“This is a feature of the shine of India – we made a promise and we made it true on the surface of the moon.

“This is an historic moment, and for every Indian, we are all very proud.”

Turning his attention to the wider world, he said: “India’s successful moon mission is not just India’s alone.

“We can all aspire for the moon and beyond.”

He said India will now look into a future human flight mission to the moon.

Thousands of people across India crowded in offices, shops, homes and restaurants eagerly waiting to witness the outcome of the mission.

Sky News