India’s Chandrayaan-3 becomes the first space mission to land near the south pole of the Moon

“India is now on the Moon,” announces PM Narendra Modi immediately after the Vikram lander touches down on the lunar surface.

Inside the lander is the six-wheeled Pragyaan rover, which, if all goes to plan, will roam the lunar surface gathering images and data.

Scientists believe craters that are permanently in shadow on the dark side of the Moon may hold frozen water.

The attempt – India’s third lunar mission – comes days after Russia’s unmanned Luna-25 spacecraft span out of control and crashed into the Moon.