By Krishnan Nayar
NEW DELHI, 24th August, 2023 (WAM) — India erupted in joy on Thursday morning to the news that the moon rover of India's spacecraft, Chandrayaan-3, began the exploration of the Moon’s surface.
Chandrayaan in Hindi language means moon voyage.
Millions of Indians on Wednesday evening watched the landing on the Moon of Chandrayaan-3 and celebrated with fireworks and impromptu singing and dancing on streets.
Before India’s Chandrayaan-3, only three countries have put a spacecraft on the Moon – the former Soviet Union, the United States, and China.
India’s Space Agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said this morning after the moon rover exited the spacecraft and began its exploration that “the Chandrayaan-3 Rover ramped down from the Lander and India took a walk on the moon!”
The spacecraft will be in operation for a fortnight, performing valuable lunar experiments, the ISRO said.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said about the successful Moon-landing: “This moment is unforgettable. It is phenomenal. This is a victory cry of a new India.”