‘India Is on the Moon’: Chandrayaan-3 Spacecraft Lands on Lunar South Pole

NEW DELHI—India successfully landed its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the moon’s south pole Wednesday, days after a similar Russian mission ended when its probe crashed into the lunar surface.

India is the first country to reach that part of the moon’s surface, an achievement expected to kick off a new era of space exploration. Scientists and engineers hope to tap water resources at the lunar south pole to facilitate missions to other parts of the solar system and future efforts for long-term settlements on the moon.