Chandrayaan-3 Updates: India takes giant leap as Vikram successfully lands on Moon

Google CEO Sundar Pichai hailed India's incredible success on Wednesday. "What an incredible moment! Congratulations to ISRO for the successful landing of Chandrayaan3 on the moon. Today India became the first country to successfully achieve a soft landing on the southern polar region of the moon," Pichai stated. 

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar congratulated the entire team of scientists. "The successful landing of  Chandrayaan-3 heralds a new age in space exploration, making it a proud moment for all of us. Congratulations to team ISRO and the entire nation for this historic achievement. #IndiaOnTheMoon (sic)," he wrote on 'X'. 

Sadhguru hailed the successful landing of Chandrayaan 3 on the Moon. "A proud day for Bharat as we celebrate the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon. Testament to the immense potential and striving that live in the hearts and minds of the people of this Nation. Warmest congratulations and best wishes to the ISRO team," he wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). 

The first photo of Rover coming out of the lander on the ramp has surfaced. 

First photo of Rover coming out of the lander on the ramp

Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), ISRO informed that the communication link has been established between the Chandrayaan-3 Lander and Mission Operations Complex MOX-ISTRAC, Bengaluru. The Indian space agency also shared the images from the Lander Horizontal Velocity Camera taken during the descent. 

After making the successful landing, Vikran Lander sent the first image from the Moon. The rover Pragyan is still to come out from the Lander Module. 

The first image from the Moon

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal joined the country in congratulating the scientists of ISRO on the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3's lunar module on the moon's surface on Wednesday and called it a "historical" moment. "This is historical. It is a big achievement for the country. It is a matter of pride for all of us. Many congratulations to all the countrymen, scientists, engineers and employees of ISRO for the success of Chandrayaan-3. Bharat Mata Ki Jai," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener said in a post on X.

Cinema personalities, including Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Jr NTR and Sunny Deol, on Wednesday congratulated the country and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on the historic achievement of Chandrayaan-3's landing on the moon. India's Moon mission Chandrayaan-3 touched down on the lunar south pole at 6.04 pm on Wednesday, launching the country to an exclusive club of four and making it the first country to land on the uncharted surface.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday hailed the successful landing of  Chandrayaan-3 on the lunar surface and said with this, India became the first nation to touch the south pole of the moon. "As the world watches Chandrayaan-3 script India's epoch in space, I express my heartfelt gratitude to ISRO and our scientists for their undeterred efforts to make this mission a historic success. This landmark achievement is not only a testament to the power of Indian genius but it also launches India's voyage through the Amrit Kaal to emerge as a global leader in the realm of space, as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji," Shah wrote on 'X'.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated ISRO Chairman S Somanath on the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission and said he would soon visit them in Bengaluru to greet the entire team in person. "Somanath ji. Your name Somanath too is linked to the Moon. Your family members too would be elated. Hearty congratulations to you and your team," PM Modi said in a phone call from Johannesburg, where he is attending the BRICS summit. The Prime Minister called the ISRO chief immediately after the successful landing of Chandrayaan. "Please convey my greetings to everyone. If possible, I would personally greet you very soon," the Prime Minister said.

BJP president JP Nadda hailed ISRO scientists and lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership for Chandrayaan-3's successful landing on the moon, asserting the world now recognises India as a power in space technology. India is creating new feats of success under Modi's leadership and carving a unique identity for itself, he said and described the success of the mission as true to the mantra of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'. The success was not possible without Modi's tireless efforts and the immense ability of our scientists. It is a historic and unprecedented achievement, Nadda said.

Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi hailed ISRO for its outstanding achievement. "Congratulations to Team ISRO for today's pioneering feat. Chandrayaan3’s soft landing on the uncharted lunar South Pole is the result of decades of tremendous ingenuity and hard work by our scientific community," he stated. 

After Chandrayaan-3 touched down on the Moon, the Congress said it is a collective success of every Indian and ISRO's achievement reflects a saga of continuity and is truly fantastic. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said an elated nation with 140 crore aspirations today witnessed yet another achievement in its six-decade-long space programme and the entire world is looking up to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) which is a matter of special pride for all Indians. "We are deeply indebted to the remarkable hard work, unparalleled ingenuity and unflinching dedication of our scientists, space engineers, researchers and everyone involved in making this mission a triumph for India," Kharge said.

Hailing the ISRO's Mission Moon, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Chandrayaan-3's triumph mirrors the aspirations and capabilities of 140 crore Indians. "To new horizons and beyond! Proud moment for India," he wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National President JP Nadda clapped as Chandrayaan-3 successfully made soft landing on the Lunar South Pole. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also watched the landing event of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon. 

ISRO chief S Somanath congratulated his team on the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. Meanwhile, P Veeramuthuvel, Project Director of Chandrayaan-3 Mission, said that India has become the first country to go near the South Pole of the Moon. 

'India, I reached my destination and you too!' ISRO wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). 

'India is on the Moon' said ISRO chief S Somanath as Chandrayaan 3 lander module Vikram made a safe landing on the Moon.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the scientists of ISRO after Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed on the Moon. "No country has reached there (the South Pole of the Moon) before. With the hard work of our scientists we have reached there," he added. 

Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) third lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 made a soft landing on the moon, Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modis said that this is the dawn of new India. "When we see such historic moments it makes us very proud. Humne dharti par sankalp kiya aur chand pe usse sakaar kiya...India is now on the Moon," he added. 

India has created history today as Vikram Lander successfully lands on the Moon. 

The ISRO stated that the power descent phase of Chandrayaan-3 lander Vikram has started.  Former ISRO chief, K Sivan is at Mission Control Complex in Bengaluru to witness Chandrayaan-3 Mission soft landing on the Moon. 

The visuals of Chandrayaan 3 Mission's landing event have surfaced from ISRO's Mission Control Complex from Bengaluru. The coverage of the soft landing is available on multiple platforms, including the ISRO's website, YouTube channel and Facebook page.

As people across the country are praying for the mission's success, Singer Kailash Kher dedicated a song for Indians before the landing of Chandrayaan-3. School students in Bihar's Gaya district were also seen singing 'Saare Jahan Se Achha' as India inches closer to make history. 

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev performed a “yagya” in the Acharyakulam campus in Haridwar while priests recited ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ at a temple on the banks of the Ganga for the successful landing of Chandrayan-3. Ramdev performed the yagya and havan amid the chanting of Vedic hymns by the students of Acharyakulam, praying for the successful completion of the mission.

There have been several companies that played a key role as suppliers for the Chandrayaan 3's Lander Module (LM). 

These companies include: 

• Hindustan Aeronautics
• Larsen & Toubro (L&T)
• Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)
• Mishra Dhatu Nigam
• MTAR Technologies 

A Senior Scientist of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) said that India is all set to join the elite group of four countries touching the Moon's surface. "Failures give lessons. We've learnt a lot...They (ISRO) have taken enough cautions to have a soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 over the Moon's surface," Satyanarayana added. 

People were seen offering special prayers at Hazratbal Dargah in Srinagar for the successful lunar landing of Chandrayaan-3. The successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 would make India stand among the three-four countries of the world which have made the biggest contribution in the field of space. 

Meanwhile, students were also cheering for the Chandrayaan-3 mission in the astronomy lab of Army Goodwill School Hanzik at Budgam.

Union Minister Anurag Thakur said India has taken a "giant leap" in the space sector and a big change will come with the soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon. “Like 140 crore Indians giving their best wishes for Chandrayaan-3, I am also one of them. India has taken a giant leap in the space sector and we all are waiting for the moment when Chandrayaan-3 lands successfully,” Thakur told reporters. “If we look at the recent times when the space policy was changed and opened for the private sector, within twelve months, the private sector launched its rocket and showcased its potential,” he added. 

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri took part in the special ardas at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib in Delhi for the successful lunar landing of Chandrayaan-3. "Special ardas taken place for the safe & successful landing of Chandrayaan-3, not just here but across the whole country, entire population praying for the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3," the minister said. 

Former Pakistan minister Fawad Chaudhry said he was excited and he and his family would watch the live streaming of the landing of Vikram lander. He said the scientist community in Pakistan was equally excited on the historic lunar mission. Chaudhry appealed Pakistan government to make a live telecast of the event.

Here is a video explainer on the timeline from 5.45 pm to the landing of Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander on Moon's south pole. ISRO said all set to initiate the Automatic Landing Sequence (ALS) and awaiting the arrival of Lander Module (LM) at the designated point, around 17:44 Hrs. IST.

The timeline of the last lap of the lunar mission

Chandrayan 3 Power descent details

• Rough Breaking - 690 seconds
• Altitude Holding Phase - 10 seconds
• Fine Breaking - 175 seconds
• Hovering 1 - 12 seconds
• Vertical Decent 1 - 140 seconds
• Hovering 2 - 24 seconds
• Retrogating - 82 seconds
• Vertical Descent 2  - 42 seconds
• Vertical Descent 3 - 40 seconds

"I congratulate and pray for the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3...I appreciate and want to congratulate the scientists for their work," said Congress MP Rajeev Shukla.

The automatic sequence command (ASC) of Chandrayaan-3 is locked. This means that the lander and rover cannot be commanded to perform any actions until the ASC is unlocked. The ASC is locked to prevent any accidental commands from being sent to the lander and rover, which could potentially damage them.

"We have invited children to the CM house where we will be watching it (live streaming). I want to congratulate our scientists & everyone associated with this mission. It is a historic mission..," said Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot on On Chandrayaan-3 mission.

"Jai Ho @isro all the best! My miniature sand sculpture at Denver, Colorado in the USA, with message 'Jai Ho' for wishing successful lunar landing of #Chandrayaan-3. I have used 25 KG sand in 45 minutes to create this art," posted sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik on X.

All set to initiate the Automatic Landing Sequence (ALS). Awaiting the arrival of Lander Module (LM) at the designated point, around 17:44 Hrs. IST, said ISRO on X.

"...India has made a huge leap in the Space sector. All of us are awaiting the moment when Chandrayaan-3 mission becomes successful. This will put India among the very few countries in the world that have made significant contributions to the Space sector," said Union Minister Anurag Thakur.

"Today is an important day for everyone. Today, Chandrayaan-3 will land on the southern part of the moon...I pray for their successes..," said Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya on the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

"...So far so good and we expect as per plan 'A' today we must be able to land...Like anyone else, I am also largely awaiting. After the discovery of water by Chandrayaan 1 the world was trying to look at the moon differently," said Padma Shri awardee and former ISRO scientist Mylswamy Annadurai.

Excitement mounted among the student community. Students in Moradabad paint their faces and display posters for the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3.

ISRO said it successfully reduced the orbit of the Chandrayaan-3 mission's Lander Module (LM), further bringing it nearer to the moon.

Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi dancer Pooja Hirwade performed Bharatanatyam on 'Namō Namō Bhāratāmbē' and Chandrayaan Anthem in Nagpur. 

A large number of devotees arrived at Bageshwar Dham in Chhatarpur, to offer special prayers for the successful lunar landing of Chandrayaan-3.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in South Africa to participate in the BRICS summit, will join the Chandrayaan-3 landing programme virtually from Johannesburg, said sources.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) tweeted on its official X page, “The live telecast of the landing operations at MOX/ISTRAC begins at 17:20 Hrs. IST on August 23, 2023.”

What time will it land - date and time?

According to ISRO's announcement, the planned date and time for the lander's activity is August 23, 2023, at 6:04 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).

Where can we watch the live streaming?

The live broadcast will be accessible on television, ISRO's official YouTube channel, and other platforms.

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