The European Space Agency (ESA) extended its congratulations to India for the extraordinary accomplishment of landing Chandrayaan-3 on the moon’s South Pole, often referred to as the ‘dark side’. The event received extensive international coverage from news networks around the world.
India received worldwide acclaim as it joined an exclusive group of nations—namely the US, Russia, and China—by successfully landing a spacecraft on the moon. Notably, India became the first country to achieve a lunar landing on the South Pole.
On X (formerly Twitter), the ESA posted, “Congratulations ISRO & team,” shortly after confirming Chandrayaan-3’s soft landing on the moon, along with the images relayed by the spacecraft from its approach to descent.
X was inundated with expressions of joy from elated Indians and private scientific institutions affiliated with the US space industry. Four million Indians in the US woke up to this triumphant news—a feat previously accomplished only by three prominent nations.
USA Today, a leading US newspaper, covered the event with this headline: “Chandrayaan-3 Successfully Lands on Moon, Making India the Fourth Country to Achieve Lunar Surface Landing.”
Over a month ago, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched Chandrayaan-3 with the aim of landing near the lunar South Pole, a goal that was realized on this Wednesday when the spacecraft achieved a gentle landing.
This milestone marks the first landing by any nation near the South Pole and represents India’s inaugural lunar landing.
A British news agency hailed the accomplishment by stating, “Chandrayaan-3 has a mission focused on the lunar South Pole, an area featuring water ice—a potential source of oxygen, fuel, and water for future lunar endeavors or even a permanent moon colony.”
Chandrayaan-3 is expected to remain operational for a two-week period, conducting various experiments, including spectrometer analyses of the mineral composition of the lunar surface.
Standing around 2 meters tall and weighing just over 1,700 kg—roughly comparable to an SUV—the Chandrayaan-3 lander is designed to deploy a smaller, 26-kg lunar rover.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson expressed anticipation for the insights that will be gleaned from the Indian mission.
The BBC, the UK’s national broadcaster, celebrated the event with this headline: “India Achieves Historic Landing of Chandrayaan 3 Near the Moon’s South Pole.”
The moon’s southern pole is a region characterized by NASA as brimming with “mystery, science, and intrigue.” It harbors deep craters that have been in shadow for billions of years, experiencing temperatures that can plummet to astonishing lows of -248C (-414F).
Water is a major driver for exploring this region. Scientists believe that frozen water might have accumulated over millions of years in cold polar regions, offering a unique sample to analyze and better understand the history of water within our solar system.
A prominent American news agency captioned the event: “India Achieves Lunar Landing Near Moon’s South Pole, Joining the Elite Group.”
The agency elaborated: “India has made history by being the first nation to successfully land a spacecraft near the moon’s South Pole, a largely unexplored territory believed to contain significant reserves of frozen water. This achievement marks India as the fourth country to achieve a soft moon landing.”
CNN, a leading US news network, lauded India’s moon landing, stating: “Explore Impressive Moon Photos Captured by India’s Lunar Lander During Its Approach.”
Verge, a well-known space-oriented website, commended India, stating: “India Makes Space Travel History with Chandrayaan 3’s Landing on the Moon’s South Pole. India’s lunar mission achieved a momentous soft landing near the South Pole of Earth’s moon, just days after Russia’s Luna 25 spacecraft experienced a crash landing attempt in the same region. India now stands as the fourth nation to achieve a soft moon landing and the first to touch down successfully on the lunar South Pole—a relatively uncharted area of the moon believed to contain water ice.”
The article noted that India’s lunar craft Vikram landed in the same vicinity where Russia’s Luna 25 crash-landed.
Al Jazeera, a prominent news network in the Middle East, also hailed the event, stating: “Chandrayaan-3 Achieves Space Travel Milestone. India Successfully Lands Spacecraft Near Moon’s South Pole, Setting a Historic Precedent. Indian PM Narendra Modi emphasized that the success of the mission ‘belongs to all of humanity’.”
Global Praise for India’s Remarkable Moon Landing Achievement added by Indian newspaper Sydney on
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