With the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, India became the first country to land on the South Pole of the moon, also known as the dark side.
Search engine giant Google was over the moon with the successful landing of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the lunar surface.
Celebrating the first landing on the moon’s South Pole, the tech company shared an adorable animated GIF to honour the space mission which has brought cheer to millions.
The GIF shows the moon – displayed as one of the Os from Google – taking a nap as the spacecraft attaches to it. Initially surprised, the moon responds to the lander with love.
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft was launched on July 14 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota Range, Andhra Pradesh. It successfully touched down near the lunar surface on August 23 evening. “Moon landings are no easy feat,” the website of the doodle said.
Previously, only the United States, China, and Russia have managed a soft landing on the moon, and India is the fourth country to join the list. However, neither of the countries had made it to the southern pole of the moon. The south pole of the moon, which is not visible from Earth – has been an area of heightened interest for space explorers. It is believed that the region has ice deposits that permanently shadow the craters. And, Chandrayaan-3 confirmed this prediction. “This ice offers the potential of critical resources for future astronauts such as air, water, and even hydrogen rocket fuel,” the Google Doodle page said.
Sharing Chandrayaan-3’s first thoughts after achieving this historic feat, Google quoted, “India, I reached my destination and you too!”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated the scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for the landmark achievement. He said, “The success belongs to all of humanity… It will help moon missions by other countries in the future. I’m confident that all countries in the world can all aspire for the moon and beyond. The sky is not the limit!”
Aren’t you over the moon too?