India is the fourth nation to successfully land a spacecraft on the Moon after its $75m (£59m) Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft touched ground in a previously unexplored region of the natural satellite.

The achievement took place just days after Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft – designed to reach this location first – crashed into the Moon. The Indian feat underscores the nation’s efforts to become an international power in space exploration.

“This is the heartbeat of 1.4 billion people,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a speech to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). “This is the new India, the new beginning, the new thinking of the new efforts. This is a historic moment, and for every Indian, we are all very proud.”

Chandrayaan-3 touched down six weeks after launching on board a rocket from a spaceport in Andhra Pradesh. The spacecraft then orbited Earth several times to gain enough speed and momentum to reach the Moon. 

Throughout the country...