India becomes fourth country to land on the moon, first on the south pole, with Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft

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India staked new claim as a national superpower in space on Wednesday, landing its Chandrayaan-3 mission safely on the moon’s unexplored south pole.The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft launched last month and touched down on the lunar surface around 8:34 a.m. ET.The feat makes India the fourth country to land on the moon, and the first to land on one of the moon’s lunar poles. Previously, Russia (then the Soviet Union), the U.S. and China landed spacecraft successfully on the moon.Sign up here to receive weekly editions of CNBC’s Investing in Space newsletter.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tuned in to the livestream of the landing from Johannesburg, where he is attending the 15th annual BRICS summit of emerging markets.”All the people of the world, the people of every country and region: India’s successful moon mission is not just India’s alone … this success belongs to all of humanity,” Modi said, speaking on the Indian Space Research Organization webcast of the event.”We can all aspire for the moon, and beyond,” Modi added.The Indian Space Research Organisation mission control room celebrates the successful landing of the Chandrayaan-3 mission.ISROThe lunar south pole has emerged as a p …

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