India’s Chandrayaan-3 makes historic moon landing

India has become the first country to successfully land a spacecraft near the south pole of the moon, in a moment that drew cheers at parties around the country. The Chandrayaan-3, which means “mooncraft” in Sanskrit, put down its Vikram lander shortly after 6pm (1230 GMT) near the little-explored area in a world first for any space programme. People across the country were glued to television screens and said prayers as the spacecraft approached the surface India lands spacecraft near south pole of moon in world first