New Delhi [India], August 23 (ANI): As India on Wednesday successfully landed a spacecraft near the moon’s south pole, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science and Technology, Atomic Energy and Space Jitendra Singh said that the country has felt the moon whereas the world only ‘fantasises’ about it. Talking to reporters here, the union minister said that the country is converting that to reality which the world dreams of.
“While the world fantasises about the moon, we have actually felt the moon…the world dreams of the moon, and we have seen the dream getting converted into reality…sky is not the limit,” Singh said.
He further congratulated ISRO on the soft landing of its third lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 on the moon. “We have the ability to achieve success through cost-effective means,” he added.
A lander with a rover inside touched down on the lunar surface at 6:04 local time, sparking cheers and applause among the space scientists watching in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru. After a failed attempt nearly four years ago, India made history by becoming the first country to touch down near the little-explored South Pole region and joined the United States, the Soviet Union and China in achieving a moon landing. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also hailed the Chandrayaan-3 mission and said “India is now on the moon”.
The Prime Minister, who is in South Africa for the BRICS Summit, joined the live telecast of Chandrayaan-3 landing online. “When we see such historic moments it makes us very proud. This is the dawn of new India,” he said. “Humne dharti par sankalp kiya aur chand pe usse sakaar kiya…India is now on the moon,” he added.
The Prime Minister said no country has reached the South Pole of the moon before. “With the hard work of our scientists, we have reached there. India’s successful Moon mission is not just India’s alone…This success belongs to all of humanity,” PM Modi said. Union Minister Hardeep Puri said that today’s date will be written in golden letters in the history of India. “23 August 2023 will be written in golden letters in the history of India. This is a proud moment for all the people of the country,” he said. (ANI)
