India landed, on the morning of this Wednesday (23), its spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon, becoming the fourth nation to accomplish this feat. The mission could cement India’s status as a global superpower in space.
Previously, only the United States, China and the former Soviet Union have completed soft landings on the lunar surface.
The Chandrayaan-3 landing site is also closer to the moon’s south pole than any spacecraft in history has ventured.
The region is considered an area of ​​key scientific and strategic interest to spacefaring nations, as scientists believe the region is home to deposits of water ice.
The water, frozen in shadowy craters, could be converted into rocket fuel or even drinking water for future manned missions.
India’s attempt to land its spacecraft near the lunar south pole comes just days after another nation’s failed attempt to do the same. Russia’s Luna 25 spacecraft crashed into the moon on Aug. 19 after its engines failed, ending the country’s first lunar landing attempt in 47 years.
As Chandrayaan-3 approached the moon, its cameras captured photographs, including one taken on Aug. 20 that India’s space agency shared on Tuesday. The image offers a close-up of the moon’s dusty gray terrain.
Source: CNN Brasil
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