India Beats Russia, US To Become First Country To Land On The Moon's Lunar Pole (Photos)

 

India has made history. It has now become the first country to land on the Moon's South Pole - beating the US, China and Russia.

 

The region of the moon India's Chandrayaan-3 landed on Wednesday was unmapped.

 

The South Pole is an uncharted territory that scientists believe could hold vital reserves of frozen water and precious elements.

 

A lander with a rover tucked inside touched down at 8:34am ET, sparking cheers and applause among the space scientists watching in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru.

 

Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) successful mission marks its emergence as a space power as the government looks to spur investment in private space launches and related satellite-based businesses.

 

Chandrayaan-3 is expected to remain functional for two weeks, running a series of experiments, including a spectrometer analysis of the mineral composition of the lunar surface to determine if there is water ice.

 

 

 

India had attempted to land on the moon four years ago with its Chandrayaan 2 lander.

 

But the spacecraft crashed on the lunar surface, destroying both the lander and rover due to a software glitch.

 

India's successful second attempt came less than a week after Russia's Luna-25 mission failed to touch down on the South Pole.

 

The Luna-25 spun into an uncontrolled orbit and crashed.

 

The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft began decent at 8:30 am ET, slowing down its thrusters for a soft landing.

 

The craft had just two engines firing as it approached the surface.