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Google is celebrating India’s first-ever landing on the Moon’s south pole with a special Doodle. On July 14, 2023, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft embarked on its journey from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota Range, Andhra Pradesh. It made history by successfully touching down near the lunar south pole region on August 23, 2023. Moon landings are a great undertaking, and only the United States, China, and the former Soviet Union had achieved soft landings on the Moon before this remarkable Indian mission.
The moon’s south pole has long captivated space explorers due to suspicions of ice deposits within perpetually shadowed craters. Chandrayaan-3 has now validated these suspicions, confirming the existence of ice. This discovery opens up exciting possibilities for future astronauts, as this ice could provide essential resources such as air, water, and even hydrogen rocket fuel.
After this historic achievement, Chandrayaan-3, in a symbolic message, exclaimed, “India, I reached my destination, and you too!” Back on Earth, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his congratulations to the scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), stressing that “the success belongs to all of humanity.” He expressed optimism that this achievement would pave the way for moon missions by other nations in the future, boldly stating, “I’m confident that all countries in the world can aspire for the moon and beyond. The sky is not the limit!”
The lander and rover are expected to have a mission life of approximately one lunar day (about 14 Earth days) to conduct studies of the lunar environment. However, ISRO remains open to the possibility of extending their mission duration for another lunar day.
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