Chandrayaan-3's special manoeuvre strengthens 'human mission to Moon' hope for India

India's space agency ISRO on September 4 announced yet another achievement by Chandrayaan-3, with the Moon mission going beyond its mission objectives this time.

ISRO said that the Vikram lander performed a "hop" experiment on the Moon's surface. The Vikram lander module fired its engines, rose 40 cm above the lunar surface, and landed around 30-40 cm away from its original position.

ISRO said that this manoeuvre was important because it makes it seem possible to bring back lunar samples, and even send Indian astronauts to the Moon.