Momentous occasion, says Prez; PM calls ISRO chief, congratulates on success: India becomes the 4th country to successfully soft-land a spacecraft on the Moon

 "Please convey my greetings to everyone. If possible, I would personally greet you very soon," the prime minister said

PTI, 23 August 2023 : President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said that the landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the lunar surface was "truly a momentous occasion" which happens once in a lifetime and it has made the whole country proud. After watching live telecast of moon landing of Vikram lander, Murmu conveyed her congratulatory video message to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and everyone associated with the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

"There are days when history is made. Today with the successful moon landing of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, our scientists have not only made history but also remade the idea of geography. It is truly a momentous occasion.

"The kind of event that happens once in a lifetime making India proud. I congratulate ISRO and everybody involved in this mission and wish them greater accomplishments ahead," she said in the video message.

Murmu, who is on an official visit to Goa, said the success of Chandrayaan-3 is also a major achievement for the whole of humankind which shows how India has harnessed its rich traditional knowledge base along with modern science in the service of humanity.

India on Wednesday scripted history as ISRO's third Moon mission Chandrayaan-3's Lander Module (LM) touched down on the lunar surface, making it only the fourth country to accomplish the feat, and first to reach the uncharted ssouth pole of Earth's only natural satellite.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated ISRO Chairman S Somanath on the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission and said he would soon visit them in Bengaluru to greet the entire team in person.

"Somanath ji...your name Somanath too is linked to the Moon. Your family members too would be elated. Hearty congratulations to you and your team," the prime minister said in a phone call from Johannesburg, where he is attending the BRICS summit.

The prime minister called the ISRO chief immediately after successful landing of Chandrayaan.

"Please convey my greetings to everyone. If possible, I would personally greet you very soon," the prime minister said.

In a giant leap for its space programme, India's Moon mission Chandrayaan-3 touched down on the lunar south pole at 6.04 pm on Wednesday, propelling the country to an exclusive club of four and making it the first country to land on the uncharted surface.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on Wednesday congratulated India on being the 4th country to successfully soft-land a spacecraft on the Moon and said the US space agency was glad to be India's "partner" on this mission. 

"Congratulations @isro on your successful Chandrayaan-3 lunar South Pole landing! And congratulations to #India on being the 4th country to successfully soft-land a spacecraft on the Moon. We're glad to be your partner on this mission!" Nelson posted on X.