August 23, 2023

— India has become the fourth country in history to successfully land a robotic spacecraft on the moon.

The country's Vikram lander, part of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, touched down near the lunar south pole on Wednesday (Aug. 23) at 8:33 a.m. EDT (1233 GMT; 6:03 p.m. Indian Standard Time, or IST). India has now joined Russia, the United States and China as the only nations to have reached the moon's surface.

"This achievement marks a significant step forward for Indian science, engineering, technology and industry, symbolizing our nation's progress in space exploration," officials at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said in a statement. "The soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 is a monumental moment that not only fuels curiosity but also sparks a passion for exploration within the minds of our youth."

"It generates a profound sense of pride and unity as we collectively celebrate the prowess of Indian science and technology," the statement read.

The feat, overseen by ISRO, came after a 40-day journey from Earth. The $90 million Chandrayaan-3 mission — comprised of an propulsion module, lander and rover — lifted off atop a Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM3) rocket from the Second Launch Pad at SDSC-SHAR in Sriharikota, India on July 14.

Since then, the spacecraft fired its engines to raise its orbit around Earth before performing a trans-lunar injection burn on July 31. The probe then used its thrusters to refine its path prior to entering lunar orbit and then separated its lander from the propulsion module.

On Aug. 18 and 19, the lander fired its thrusters to lower its orbit, leading to its final descent and autonomous touch down on the near side of the moon at about 69 degrees south latitude.

Chandrayaan-3 mission soft-landing. Click to enlarge video in new pop-up window. (ISRO)

The landing came on India's second attempt. In 2019, the Chandrayaan-2 mission failed when its Vikram lander ceased all communications about 1.3 miles (2.1 kilometers) above the surface. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) was later able to find and photograph the impact site and its associated debris field.

ISRO officials said that they took the lessons learned from the earlier try to ensure mission success this time.

Like its ill-fated predecessor, the Chandrayaan-3 lander is named "Vikram" after the late physicist Vikram Sarabhai, who is credited as the father of India's space program. This lander was equipped with four throttle-able engines and upgraded sensors for better detecting and avoiding hazards during the descent. The lander's four legs were also made stronger, among other improvements.

Now on the moon, the SUV-sized Vikram is expected to function for one lunar day or about two Earth weeks, while using its three science instruments to measure the thermal conductivity and temperature of its surroundings; the seismicity around its landing site; and the density of plasma (ions and electrons) on the surface.

Vikram will also extend a ramp in an attempt to deploy Pragyan (Sanskrit for "wisdom"), a solar-powered, six-wheel rover that has two science instruments to derive the chemical, mineralogical and elemental composition of the lunar soil.

India's success comes on the heels of Russia failing to land Luna-25, its first mission to the moon in 47 years. The lander, which was also targeting the south pole region, crashed into the moon after a errant engine burn on Aug. 20.

Before Vikram, the most recent landing was carried out by China's Chang'e 5 mission in 2020, which collected and successfully returned lunar samples to Earth. Beyond Russia, the United States, China and now India, companies in Israel and Japan have also tried to reach the lunar surface but failed in their attempts.

JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, is set to launch its first moon landing mission on Aug. 26. The Smart Lander or SLIM is expected to attempt a landing in four to six months.

Two U.S. companies are also planning to launch their first moon landers this year as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines are both targeting the lunar south pole region carrying commercial and government payloads.

Chandrayaan-3 is the 145th attempted moon mission since 1958, including flybys, orbiters, impactors and landers. The Vikram lander is the 21st spacecraft to touch down on the lunar surface.