Shooting For The Moon: 5 Famous Lunar Landings 

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Here's a look at five countries' moonshots and landings on Earth's cosmic companion

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On February 3, 1966, Russia's Luna 9 achieved a soft touchdown and sent the first images back from the Moon's surface

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Almost 60 years later, Russia's Luna-25 probe failed to repeat the success in 2023 and crashed on the moon

Image: AFP

US's Apollo 11 crew touched down on July 20, 1969 and astronaut Neil Armstrong proclaimed it as a "giant leap for mankind"

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NASA's Apollo project cost $300 billion and landed six spacecraft and 12 astronauts till 1972

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China's Chang'e-3 soft landed in 2013 and followed up in 2019 with Chang'e-4 to become world's first on the far side of the Moon

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In 2023, India's Chandrayaan-3 landed near the Moon's south pole, a world's first. 

Image: ANI

The third mission of India's lunar programme cost just Rs 600 crore

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In January 2024, Japan became the fifth country to put a spacecraft on the moon with its "Moon Sniper" mission

Image: Reuters

After initial power failure, the lander resumed operations after a week 

Image: Reuters

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