India’s Chandrayaan-3 successfully touches down on the southern region of the lunar surface

India has established itself as a global leader in space exploration with the successful landing of its Chandrayaan-3 mission on the unexplored south pole of the moon.

The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft was launched last month, and it safely touched down on the lunar surface at around 8:34 a.m. ET.

This achievement makes India the fourth country to land on the moon, and the first to land on one of the moon’s poles. Previously, Russia, the U.S., and China have successfully landed spacecraft on the moon.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi watched the live stream of the landing from Johannesburg, where he is attending the 15th annual BRICS summit of emerging markets.

“India’s successful moon mission is not just India’s alone… this success belongs to all of humanity,” Modi said during the Indian Space Research Organization webcast of the event.

“We can all aspire for the moon, and beyond,” he added.

The lunar south pole has gained significant attention for exploration due to recent discoveries of water ice on the moon. India previously attempted a south pole landing in September 2019, but a software failure caused the Chandrayaan-2 mission to crash.

“[The south pole is] a historically significant scientific and geologic area that many countries are trying to explore. It can serve as a base for future exploration,” said Wendy Cobb, a professor of strategy and security studies at the U.S. Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, in an interview with CNBC.

Cobb also emphasized the importance of water on the moon’s south pole for future exploration, as it can potentially serve as a fuel source for rockets and spacecraft.

During Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the U.S. in June, India signed agreements with President Joe Biden to join the Artemis Accords and enhance collaboration on missions between ISRO and NASA.

Next year, the space agencies are expected to work together to send Indian astronauts to the International Space Station.

Despite having a significantly smaller budget compared to NASA, ISRO has achieved remarkable success. The estimated cost of the Chandrayaan-3 mission was about $75 million.

The mission, originally planned for 2021, faced delays due to the Covid pandemic.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson congratulated ISRO on the successful landing on X, formerly known as Twitter, and expressed enthusiasm for their partnership on this mission.