Three other nations — the US, China, and the former Soviet Union — have all previously achieved a soft landing near the Moon’s equator, a safer region with (comparatively) amiable temperatures and terrain and reliable sunlight to recharge solar-powered instruments.

By contrast, much of the Moon’s southern pole is littered with deep craters and basins that are permanently shrouded in darkness.

The extreme conditions in these “cold traps” make remote observation from Earth difficult and present problems for operating sensitive equipment in the region.

The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft took 22 days to enter the Moon’s orbit on August 5th, following its launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on July 14th.

On August 17th, the Vikram lander carrying Pragyan — a lunar ground rover — successfully separated from its propulsion module in preparation for today’s soft landing.

The mission marks India’s second attempt at a lunar landing after the Chandrayaan-2 lander crashed into the Moon’s surface back in 2019.

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