India becomes the first country to land near the Moon’s south pole, just days after a Russian spacecraft crashed trying to reach the area.

The spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 will now spend two weeks looking for frozen water which could support astronauts on future Moon and Mars explorations.

The country stood still as the spacecraft landed, watching at planetariums, science centres, and parties around India.

India is now in the league of space powers like the US and China, and it’s become only the fourth country to successfully land on the Moon.

It’s a win for Narendra Modi’s government which is showing off India as a leader in technology and an assertive global superpower.

But critics of the mission have questioned its importance while hundreds of millions of Indians are still in tough living conditions.

More to come.