India Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission lands on moons south pole

The lunar south pole has emerged as a place of exploration interest thanks to recent discoveries of India previously attempted a lunar south pole landing in September 2019, but a software failure caused the Chandrayaan-2 mission to crash into the surface.

"[The south pole is] really a very interesting, historical, scientific and geologic area that a lot of countries are trying to get at that can serve as a base for future exploration," Wendy Whitman Cobb, professor of strategy and security studies at the U.S. Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, told CNBC.

Whitman Cobb added that the discovery of water on the south pole of the moon is "really important for future exploration," as it could serve as a source of fuel for rockets and spacecraft.

Days before Chandrayaan-3's landing, Russia attempted to land its first spacecraft on the moon in almost 50 years. But the Luna-25 mission smashed into the lunar surface on Saturday, with Russian space agency Roscosmos confirming the spacecraft spun of control.

Earlier this year, the first attempted landing by in the final moments.

In the U.S., for this type of robotic exploration mission, with the agency instead focusing most if its own effort on .

Houston-based Intuitive Machines aims to launch its , while Pittsburgh-based its first lunar cargo mission within the next year.

India is

Modi visited the U.S. in June, during which he signed agreements alongside President to join the Artemis Accords and further collaborate on missions between ISRO and NASA.

Next year, the space agencies are expected to work together to fly Indian astronauts to the International Space Station.

India has also done more with less than its top global counterparts, with ISRO's annual budget a fraction of NASA's. In 2020, ISRO estimated the Chandrayaan-3 mission would cost about $75 million.

The mission was originally slated for 2021, but was delayed by the Covid pandemic.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson congratulated ISRO on the successful landing , the site formerly known as Twitter, adding, "We're glad to be your partner on this mission!"