India makes history as Chandrayaan-3 lands near Moon's south pole

Aug 23: Chandrayaan-3’s lander touches down on the lunar surface, making India the first country to successfully land a spacecraft near the Moon’s south pole. 

The Vikram lander has touched down on the lunar surface. Inside is the six-wheeled Pragyaan rover, which, if all goes to plan, will roam the lunar surface gathering images and data

All previous missions to the Moon have touched down near the equator - but exploring the South Pole is key to the hunt for water. Scientists believe craters that are permanently in shadow on the dark side of the Moon may hold frozen water.

Indian Prime Minister Modi congratulates the ISRO control room and all other Indians for this momentous achievement. "India is now on the Moon," beams Prime Minister Modi, addressing the Isro control room.

He is in South Africa right now, he says in Hindi, but he says his mind is with Chandrayaan-3 like everyone else in the country.

Scientists now hope to deploy a rover to send images and data back to Earth - stick with us for updates.

The attempt - India's third lunar mission - comes days after Russia's unmanned Luna-25 spacecraft spanned out of control and crashed into the Moon. It is now only the fourth country to touch down on the Moon.