‘Somanath ji, congratulations to your team’: PM Modi rings up Isro chief after Chandrayaan-3’s success

JOHANNESBURG: As Chandrayaan-3 landed successfully on the south pole of the Moon, making India the first country to reach that particular area, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday dialled the Isro chief S Somanath, congratulating him and his team on this historic feat.

“Somanath Ji, your name is Somanath, which is associated with the Moon, and therefore your team members will also be very happy today. Many many congratulations to you and your entire team from my side”, PM Modi said in the telephone conversation.

#WATCH | Johannesburg, South Africa | Immediately after the success of Chandrayaan-3, PM Narendra Modi telephoned ISRO chief S Somanath and congratulated him. pic.twitter.com/NZWCuxdiXw

— ANI (@ANI) August 23, 2023

The Prime Minister also said that he would congratulate the Isro chief personally later. It was a giant leap for India on Wednesday evening as the Chandrayaan-3 lander module successfully landed on the Moon’s south pole.

#WATCH | ISRO chief S Somanath congratulates his team on the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, says, "Thank you everyone for the support…We learned a lot from our failure and today we succeeded. We are looking forward to the next 14 days from now for Chandrayaan-3." pic.twitter.com/Rh0t5uHhGd

— ANI (@ANI) August 23, 2023

The Prime Minister, who is in South Africa for the BRICS Summit, joined the live telecast of Chandrayaan-3 landing online. Following the landing of the Chandrayaan-3 moon mission at 6:04 PM today, ISRO Chief S Somnath said, “India is now on the Moon!”

People all over the country celebrated the historic occasion. Officials at India’s space agency ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru broke into applause after the Vikram began its powered vertical descent towards its landing site. (ANI)