India Launches Rocket , to Land on Moon’s South Pole.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched the Chandrayaan-3 lander into Earth's orbit on July 14, NBC News reports.
Next month, it will head toward the moon.
If the mission is successful, it will put India on the map as the fourth country to achieve a controlled lunar landing and the first country to make it to the south pole.
The other three countries that have made it to the moon include China, the former Soviet Union and the United States.
The south pole is of great interest due to the presence of water ice which would be crucial for a potential space station.
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India expects to make it to the moon on Aug.
23.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to say that the mission "will carry the hopes and dreams of our nation.".
Deputy Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh also issued a statement.
As Mother India enters into the next 25 years, she pledges to play a leading global role in the emerging world scenario, Deputy Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh, via statement.
NBC News reports that "the number of space startups has more than doubled" in India since 2020
