Chandrayaan 3 lands on Moon: Watch PM Modi's speech to ISRO from South Africa

Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnessed from South Africa Chandrayaan 3's successful landing on the Moon.

Soon after announcement of Vikram lander's touchdown near the Moon's south pole, Modi addressed ISRO scientists celebrating the achievement.

Modi called the moment unprecedented and unforgettable. He said that India had made a resolve on Earth and fulfilled it on the Moon.

Modi said that the ISRO mission had a human-centric approach, and thus, Chandrayaan 3's success was an achievement for all of mankind.

The Chandrayaan-3's landing on the moon is a historic moment and sounds the bugle for a developed India, Modi said. "We are witness to the new flight of new India. New history has been written," the Prime Minister said.

Modi, who is in the South African city to attend the five-nation BRICS Summit, waved the tricolour the moment Chandrayaan-3 landed on the moon.

Chandrayaan-3 was India’s second attempt at a soft landing on the Moon and it become the fourth nation to achieve the feat.

The moon mission was designed to support exploration of the moon’s south polar region, making India the first country to do so. The spacecraft was launched on July 14, 2023, after which it went through multiple space maneuvers.

The month-long journey came to an end earlier this month, when Chandrayaan-3 placed itself in lunar orbit and was on standby for the landing window.

ISRO Chief S Somanath demonstrated immense confidence in Chandrayaan-3, saying that it was ready for all kinds of emergencies.

“If everything fails, if all the sensors fail, nothing works, still it (Vikram) will make a landing. That's how it has been designed -- provided that the propulsion system works well,” ISRO director said.

Chandrayaan-3’s predecessor, launched in July 2019, held similar ambitions but lost contact with ISRO minutes before its scheduled landing time.

Also watch: Chandrayaan 3: PM Modi calls ISRO chief Somanath after moon landing | Watch

Reports say that India’s space mission has a budget of Rs. 615 crore, making it significantly cheaper and more efficient that lunar missions of other countries. Only three countries – China, US and Soviet Union – have made a soft landing on the moon.

News agency PTI reported that India's space economy is expected to be worth USD 13 billion by 2025.

By comparison, the Australian Civil Space Strategy 2019–2028 aims to triple the sector's contribution to GDP to AUD 12 billion and create an additional 20,000 jobs by 2030.