Space

India made history with 2023's low-budget Chandrayaan-3 moon landing

With the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission in August, India became the fourth country to land a craft on the moon, days after Russia’s failed attempt

By Matthew Sparkes

13 December 2023

NEW DELHI, INDIA - AUGUST 23: People celebrates after successful landing of Chandrayaan 3 on Moon at Nehru Planetarium on August 23, 2023 in New Delhi, India. The Chandrayaan-3 lander module has successfully touched down on the Moon's south pole, making India the first nation in the world to achieve this feat. India is also the fourth nation, after the United States, China and Russia to have landed on the Moon. (Photo by Sanchit Khanna/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) — People in New Delhi, India, cheer as the Vikram lander touches down
Sanchit Khanna/Hindustan Times via Getty Images

IN AUGUST, India achieved what only the US, the USSR and China had done before and successfully landed a craft on the moon.

Why it's a big deal that India beat Russia in the new race to the moon

The Indian Space Research Organisation’s Vikram lander and Pragyan rover carried out a string of scientific experiments that will shed light on the composition of the moon’s surface, and the former performed a short take-off and repositioning to give engineers insight for future missions.…