'India is on the moon': Fast facts about Chandrayaan-3 moon lander

India has made history as its Chandrayaan-3 lander successfully touched down on the moon's south pole, thought to be a potential source for water and oxygen.

"India is on the moon," Sreedhara Panicker Somanath, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation and an aerospace engineer, declared on Wednesday to loud cheers shortly after the moon landing.

Here are key facts about the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

What is India's Chandrayaan-3 Mission?

The Chandrayaan-3 is the first mission to land at the lunar south pole, a region with water ice, or frozen water, that could be a source of oxygen, fuel and water for future moon missions or a more permanent moon colony.

The Chandrayaan-3 is expected to remain functional for two weeks, running a series of experiments including a spectrometer analysis of the mineral composition of the lunar surface.

The Chandrayaan-3 lander stands about 2 meters tall and has a mass of just over 1,700 kg (3,747.86 lb), roughly on par with an SUV. It is designed to deploy a smaller, 26-kg lunar rover.

P Veeramuthuvel, the Chadrayaan-3 project director, said the landing happened "flawlessly" and "within the timeline".

When did it launch and what is expected of the mission?

The Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14 from India's main space port in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

Since then, it has looped through progressively wider-ranging orbits of Earth, transferred to a lunar orbit and emerged as a focus of national pride and global interest after Russia's failed attempt to beat it to a landing on the moon's south pole.

The mission landed at exactly 1804 IST (1234 GMT) on Wednesday.

"It gives me immense pleasure to be part of Chandrayaan-3," Shri M Sankaran, mission director, said.

What happened to ISRO's earlier moon landing attempt?

India's previous attempt to land on the lunar south pole failed in 2019.

Chandrayaan-2 successfully deployed an orbiter but its lander and rover were destroyed in a crash near where Chandrayaan-3 touched down on Wednesday.

Rough terrain is one of the complications for a south pole landing.

ISRO scientists say they have made adjustments that make it more likely the current mission will land successfully. That includes a system to broaden the potential landing zone. The lander has also been equipped with more fuel and sturdier legs for impact.

P Veeramuthuvel, the Chadrayaan-3 project director, explained after the landing that several teams worked to make adjustments to the project for a smooth landing.

Kalpana K, the Deputy Project Director of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, added that the momentous occasion "will remain the happiest" event for many in the team.

"We have achieved our goal flawlessly from the day we started rebuilding our spacecraft after Chandrayaan-2 experience," she added.

Russia's first moon mission in 47 years failed over the weekend when its Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the moon.

A private Japanese space startup, ispace, also failed an attempted lunar landing in April.

What does it mean for India to have a successful mission?

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared shortly after the landing that the mission, is not just for India but for the world.

"This success belongs to all of humanity," he said.

There was feverish anticipation and excitement in India over the landing with prayers, schools marshalling students to watch a live telecast of the event, and space enthusiasts organising parties to celebrate.

The successful mission makes India only the fourth country to successfully land on the moon, after the former USSR, the United States and China, and mark its emergence as a space power, just ahead of national elections next year.

Modi's government is also looking to spur investment in private space launches and related satellite-based businesses.

India wants its private space companies to increase their share of the global launch market by fivefold within the next decade.

Modi said when the moon mission launched that ISRO was writing "a new chapter in India's space odyssey" and elevating "the dreams and ambitions of every Indian."