India's Chandrayaan-3 Lands on Lunar Surface

Facts

• On Wednesday, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully landed a spacecraft near the south pole of the moon in a historic moment that drew cheers from watching parties around the country.¹
• The landing makes India the fourth nation to make a soft landing on the moon, joining the former Soviet Union, the US, and China.²
• India is the first country to land on the moon's south pole, where scientists believe frozen water could supply fuel and drinking water for future missions.³
• This is India's second attempt to land on the moon following a failed attempt in 2019. The Chandrayaan-3 mission comes just days after Russia's first moon mission in almost 50 years, destined for the same region, crashed on the lunar surface.³
• The Chandrayaan-3 mission, developed with a budget of less than $75M, consists of a propulsion module, lander, and rover. The spacecraft carries seven scientific instruments to demonstrate safe landing and roving on the moon's surface.⁴
• Many applauded India's successful landing on the moon as an indication of the country's emergence as a space power as the government looks to promote investment in private space launches and related satellite-based businesses.⁵

Sources: ¹Guardian, ²Reuters, ³ABC News, ⁴TechCrunch, and ⁵Business Today.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Business Line. Chandrayaan-3's soft landing on the moon's south pole is a historic moment for India and a huge boost for its space program. This is just the beginning, as the success gives India confidence to configure more missions to explore Mars and beyond.
• Narrative B, as provided by CNN. This milestone doesn't just signal a success for India but also magnifies Russia's recent failure. Without a doubt, this mission marks the beginning of a new pecking order in space exploration, with Moscow slowly but surely losing its footing in the race.

Predictions