India Becomes Fourth Nation to Put a Lander on Moon Following Russian Crash

The successful Chandrayaan-3 mission also marked the world’s first landing in the moon’s south polar region.

Jack Daleo

Wednesday, August 23, 2023 at 04:52 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

The Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 mission to the lunar south pole took flight in July. [Courtesy: ISRO]

Key Takeaways:

India's Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully soft-landed its *Vikram* lunar lander on the moon, becoming the fourth nation to achieve this feat and the first ever to reach the challenging lunar south polar region.
The mission is a key part of a renewed global "race to the moon," with India, the U.S., China, and other nations and private firms targeting the south pole for its potential water ice reserves.
These water ice deposits are crucial for future lunar exploration and human settlements, potentially providing drinking water, oxygen, and rocket fuel for long-term bases and further deep space missions.

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Space exploration is no longer the two-horse race it once was. While the U.S. and the former Soviet Union dominated the early decades of lunar missions, countries around the world are now racing to the moon’s surface—including the most populous nation on Earth.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, India’s Vikram lunar lander, part of the country’s Chandrayaan-3 (literal translation: “moon vehicle”) mission, successfully touched down on the moon’s surface.