Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated ISRO chief S Somnath over a telephone call immediately after Chandrayaan-3 landed successfully on the Moon.
The prime minister had joined the ISRO team virtually for the landing operation since he is in Johannesburg for the BRICS summit.
In a video of the telephone conversation, Modi can be congratulating the ISRO chief and his team. He also promised to meet them in person soon.
Chandrayaan-3 was India’s second attempt at a soft landing on the Moon and it became the fourth nation to achieve the feat.
The moon mission was designed to support exploration of the moon’s south polar region, making India the first country to do so. The spacecraft was launched on July 14, 2023, after which it went through multiple space manoeuvres.
The month-long journey came to an end earlier this month when Chandrayaan-3 placed itself in lunar orbit and was on standby for the landing window.
ISRO Chief S Somanath demonstrated immense confidence in Chandrayaan-3, saying that it was ready for all kinds of emergencies.
“If everything fails, if all the sensors fail, nothing works, still it (Vikram) will make a landing. That's how it has been designed -- provided that the propulsion system works well,” ISRO director said.
Chandrayaan-3’s predecessor, launched in July 2019, held similar ambitions but lost contact with ISRO minutes before its scheduled landing time.
Reports say that India’s space mission has a budget of Rs. 615 crore, making it significantly cheaper and more efficient than lunar missions of other countries. Only three countries – China, US and Soviet Union – have made a soft landing on the moon.
Also watch: Chandrayaan 3 lands on Moon: Watch PM Modi's speech to ISRO from South Africa
News agency PTI reported that India's space economy is expected to be worth USD 13 billion by 2025.
By comparison, the Australian Civil Space Strategy 2019–2028 aims to triple the sector's contribution to GDP to AUD 12 billion and create an additional 20,000 jobs by 2030.