Johannesburg [South Africa]: At the banquet dinner during the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was congratulated by several world leaders including Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the success of Chandrayaan-3.
Earlier on Wednesday, PM Modi while referring to the Chandrayaan-3 mission, said the enthusiasm of our diaspora in South Africa for India’s achievements in the space sector is truly gladdening.
“Feeling the fervour all the way from Johannesburg for Chandrayaan-3!
The enthusiasm of our diaspora in South Africa for India’s achievements in the space sector is truly gladdening,” PM Modi tweeted on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister also shared pictures of him greeting the members of the Indian diaspora who were gathered in a Johannesburg hotel on Wednesday.
Chandryaan-3 on Wednesday successfully performed a soft landing on the moon.
ISRO tweeted: “Chandrayaan-3 Mission: ‘India, I reached my destination and you too!’ Chandrayaan-3 has successfully soft-landed on the moon! Congratulations, India!”
As the Vikram lander carrying the Pragyaan rover in its belly touched down on the lunar surface, it marked a giant leap in India’s spacefaring journey providing a well-deserved finale to ISRO’s long years of toil.
This makes India the fourth country – after the US, China, and Russia – to have successfully landed on the moon’s surface, it has earned a place in record books as the first to touchdown on the south side of Earth’s only natural satellite.
Special screenings of the soft landing were organized across the country, including schools science centres, and public institutions. ISRO made the live action available on the ISRO website, its YouTube channel, Facebook, and public broadcaster DD National TV.
The spacecraft was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota on July 14.
After the success of Chandrayaan-3, PM Modi dialled Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S Somanath from South Africa’s Johannesburg to congratulate him and said he would soon visit them in Bengaluru to greet the entire team in person.
“Somnath Ji, your name is Somnath, which is associated with the moon, and therefore your family members will also be very happy today. Many many congratulations to you and your entire team from my side,” PM Modi said in the telephone conversation.
“Please convey my greetings to everyone. If possible, I would personally greet you very soon,” he further said.
The Prime Minister, who is in South Africa for the BRICS Summit, joined the live telecast of Chandrayaan-3 landing online.
