Watch: Team India stars erupt in applause as Chandrayaan-3 makes historic moon landing; Rohit, Kohli salute ISRO

In a remarkable feat of space exploration, India successfully positioned its spacecraft – Chandrayaan-3 – near the moon's southern pole on Wednesday, venturing into uncharted terrain that harbours potential reserves of frozen water and valuable elements. At 6:04 IST, the lander housing a rover gently made contact with the lunar surface, evoking cheers and applause from the gathering of ISRO scientists in Bengaluru. PM Narendra Modi also closely followed the landing as he connected via a video call from South Africa, where he is currently taking part in the BRICS summit.

This triumph followed a previous unsuccessful attempt almost four years ago, making India a trailblazer by securing the distinction of being the first nation to achieve a landing near the less-explored southern pole region of the moon. This milestone firmly positions India alongside the esteemed ranks of the United States, the Soviet Union, and China as a nation executing a successful lunar landing.

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As India successfully landed on the moon, the Indian cricket fraternity congratulated ISRO on the phenomenal achievement. The BCCI, on their official Twitter account, posted a video of the Indian team following the moon-landing ahead of the side's 3rd T20I against Ireland.

A host of Indian cricketers including captain Rohit Sharma also reacted to the magnificent feat.

Launched on July 14, this Chandrayaan-3 mission made a 41-day journey to approach the lunar south pole. Central to the mission's execution was a meticulously designed lander paired with a six-wheeled rover, collectively weighing 1,752 kg. These advanced components were engineered to function optimally during a single lunar daylight period, which spans around 14 Earth days.

The previous Moon mission – Chandrayaan-2 – had failed in its lunar phase when its lander 'Vikram' crashed into the surface of the Moon minutes before the touch down following anomalies in the braking system in the lander while attempting a landing on September 7, 2019. Chandrayaan's maiden mission was in 2008.

As Team India followed the successful Moon mission, it would be aiming to end the Ireland tour on a high as it takes on the home side in the third and final T20I of the series in Dublin. The match on Wednesday would mark India's last game in the shortest format before the attention shifts to ODIs, as the team prepares for the World Cup in October-November.