Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 23 : Congratulations poured in from all over the world as India on Wednesday scripted history with the successful soft landing of its lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 in the south pole region of the moon.
Like millions of Indians, veteran actor Anupam Kher's heart also swelled with pride on seeing the live telecast of the Chandrayaan-3 lander Vikram's touchdown on the moon's surface.
Speaking to ANI, Kher hailed India's moon mission and lauded the efforts of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and rejoiced over the historic feat achieved by India.
"I've never been as happy as I am now. We used to sing 'Chanda mama door ke' in childhood but now 'chanda mama door ke hai hi nahin'. India is on moon now. It's a proud moment for all Indians. I bow down and salute the nation today, I especially salute the ISRO scientists. This moon mission has made me extremely emotional. I was literally in tears when I was watching the live telecast," Kher shared.
"...Can you imagine an Indian walking on earth anywhere today and people looking at him and saying, 'Look that's an Indian'. We're the first nation to reach South Pole (of moon). We're the first people who landed there," he added.
Historically, spacecraft missions to the Moon have primarily targeted the equatorial region due to its favourable terrain and operating conditions.
However, the lunar south pole presents a vastly different and more challenging terrain compared to the equatorial region. The spacecraft was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota on July 14.
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