Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today turned emotional while interacting with the team of scientists involved in the Chandrayaan-3 mission.
"India is on the Moon. We have our national pride placed on the Moon," PM Modi said while speaking at the the command centre of the Indian Space Research in Bengaluru.
"The success of Chandrayaan-3 mission is an extraordinary moment in the history of India's space programme," he added.
After a 40-day journey into space, the Chandrayaan-3 lander, 'Vikram', touched down on the uncharted lunar South Pole on Wednesday evening, making India the first country to do so.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was attending the BRICS Summit in South Africa then and joined the ISRO scientists virtually during the event. He then visited Greece for bilateral talks.
The Prime Minister who flew down to Bengaluru directly from Greece today, and said he could not stop himself from reaching the city first on his return to pay tribute to the ISRO scientists.
Before heading for ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), PM Modi addressed a gathering outside the HAL Airport.
“Not only Indians but people across the globe who believe in science, who see the future and are dedicated to humanity, are filled with enthusiasm,” he said.