India’s unmanned spacecraft Chandrayaan 3 has successfully landed on the moon’s south side.
While a new world order unfolded during the 15th BRICS Summit hosted in South Africa, India’s Space Research Organisation made history.
It was the third time lucky for India after two failed missions.
Russia had also hoped to land on the moon’s Southside, but its spacecraft crashed on Sunday. Chandrayaan means moon craft in Hindi.
America, Russia and China have completed lunar missions on the moon’s near side – which faces Earth, making this landing a world first.
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PM Modi tunes in from South Africa
While attending the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi tuned in remotely to watch Chandrayaan’s descent.
Chandrayaan landed about 600km from the South Pole. Its landing point was named the “Shiv Shakti point,” after the Hindu Gods Lord Shiva and his wife, Goddess Shakti.
The name Shiv Shakti also represents divine feminine energy, as Lord Shiva’s consort, and honours the women scientists who worked on the Chandrayaan project.
WATCH: Chandrayaan lands on the moon
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According to Reuters, India’s space program operated on a relatively restrictive budget: 6.15 billion rupees, or $75 million.
But, interestingly, Chandrayaan’s budget was cheaper than most American blockbuster movies. The Sci-Fi thriller Gravity, starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, cost $100 million to make.
The Martian, boasting a star-studded cast including Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain, cost $108 million. The most interesting statistic, however, is that Chandrayaan cost less than half the cost of the Interstellar blockbuster, which was filmed on a budget of $165 million.
