Chandrayaan-3 sends first image of ‘flat’ landing site on moon surface | See PICS
Chandrayaan-3 sends first image: Vikram lander shared an image of a relatively flat landing site on the moon just hours after Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed on the moon on Wednesday.
Following the landing, the image was captured by the Landing Imager Camera. It showed an area of the landing site of Chandrayaan-3. A leg of the landing module and its shadow can also be seen in the image.
“Chandrayaan-3 chose a relatively flat region on the lunar surface,” ISRO said on X.
The much-anticipated Chandrayaan-3 mission scripted history in the country as Chandrayaan-3 Vikram Lander successfully lands on the Moon making India the first country in the world to land its spacecraft on the lunar South Pole.
Officials at India's space agency ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru broke into applause after the Vikram began its powered vertical descent towards its landing site.
Congratulating India, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) took to their Twitter handle and wrote, "Chandrayaan-3 Mission: India, I reached my destination and you too!': Chandrayaan-3"
"India is on the moon!" Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is currently attending the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg said. He watched the live telecast and as soon as the touchdown happened he sported a big smile and waved the tricolour.
The countdown of the Vikram hovered at 150 metres, then 130 metres, and 50 metres and decelerated as approached the moon's service before finally touching down on the lunar surface.
As the Vikram lander carrying the Pragyaan rover in its belly touched down on the lunar surface, it marked a giant leap in India’s spacefaring journey providing a well-deserved finale to ISRO’s long years of toil.