Chandrayaan-3 makes history by landing on the icy lunar region – beating Russia, China and the USA

• India has landed on the moon’s South pole – an unmapped region of the surface
• The nation now joins Russia, China and the US in landing on the moon
•  Chandrayaan-3 will determine if water ice is hiding in the South Pole region

India has become the fourth country to land on the moon after its Chandrayaan-3 touched the lunar surface Wednesday.

The craft, which means ‘moon vehicle’ in Hindi and Sanskrit, landed on the South Pole – beating the US, China and Russia to the unmapped region.

The South Pole is an uncharted territory that scientists believe could hold vital reserves of frozen water and precious elements.

A lander with a rover tucked inside touched down at 8:34 am ET, sparking cheers and applause among the space scientists watching in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru.

Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) successful landing marks its emergence as a space power as the government looks to spur investment in private space launches and related satellite-based businesses.

Chandrayaan-3 is expected to remain functional for two weeks, running a series of experiments, including a spectrometer analysis of the mineral composition of the lunar surface to determine if there is water ice.