"New History Has Been Written": PM Modi As Chandrayaan-3 Lands On Moon

India let out a collective whoop as it became the first nation to land a spacecraft on the Moon's south pole. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in South Africa for the BRICS summit, virtually witnessed the landing attempt of India's moon mission - Chandrayaan-3.

"I heartily congratulate ISRO, its scientists for this unprecedented feat. I may be in South Africa but my heart has always been with Chandrayaan mission," PM Modi said in a virtual address from South Africa.

India also joins a select club of Russia, the United States and China - who have previously achieved a controlled landing on the lunar surface.

"No other country has been able to land on this side of moon before; this will change all narratives and stories about moon. We are witness to the new flight of new India. New history has been written," said the PM.

Quoting the ISRO scientists, PM Modi said "India is now on the moon", adding that said this is a moment to cherish forever.

The landing comes days after a Russian probe crashed in the same region and after India's own failed attempt in 2019.

The lander, Vikram, which means "valour" in Sanskrit, detached from its propulsion module last week and has been sending images of the Moon's surface since entering lunar orbit on August 5.

Now that Vikram has landed, a solar-powered rover will explore the surface and transmit data to Earth over its two-week lifespan.

The mission was launched nearly six weeks ago in front of thousands of cheering spectators, but took much longer to reach the Moon than those of the Apollo missions in the 1960s and 1970s, which arrived in a matter of days.