Chandrayaan-3: PM meets scientists behind successful lunar landing

Bengaluru (Karnataka): Prime Minister Narendra Modi was accorded a warm reception as he arrived at the ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru on Saturday morning.

He met the team of scientists with the Indian Space Research Organisation, who were involved in the country's third lunar mission — Chandrayaan-3.

India entered record books as the first country to successfully place a lander on the unexplored lunar South Pole on Wednesday evening.

PM Modi, who followed the final moments of the touchdown of the lunar lander, 'Vikram', virtually from South Africa where he was attending the 15th BRICS Summit, met the scientists behind the country's maiden lunar landing project at the ISRO's Telemetry Tracking and Command Network Mission Control Complex in Bengaluru.

ISRO Chairman S Somanath personally received PM Modi, who patted his back and hugged him for the successful culmination of the daunting lunar landing mission. He also posed for a group photo with the team of scientists behind the project. S Somanath briefed PM Modi on the ISRO's 40-day journey to the lunar South Pole and the efforts that went into the project.

Prior to meeting the ISRO scientists, PM raised the slogan 'Jai Vigyan Jai Anusandhan' and greeted people lining the streets outside HAL airport after his arrival in Bengaluru.

"I could not stop myself as I was not in the country, but I decided to visit Bengaluru first and meet our scientists right after visiting India," PM Modi on his arrival to the Garden City. 

After a 40-day journey into space, the Chandrayaan-3 lander touched down on the uncharted lunar South Pole on Wednesday evening, making India the first country to do so.

As India achieved a successful lunar landing, becoming only the fourth country to reach the milestone after the US, Russia and China, congratulations and good wishes poured in from world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, US Vice President Kamala Harris and Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka 'Prachanda', among others.