BENGALURU, Aug 23 (Reuters) - An Indian spacecraft landed on the rugged, unexplored south pole of the moon on Wednesday in a mission seen as crucial to lunar exploration and India's standing as a space power, just days after a similar Russian lander crashed.
"This moment is unforgettable. It is phenomenal. This is a victory cry of a new India," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who waved the Indian flag as he watched the landing from South Africa where he is attending a BRICS summit.
Summary
Mission comes less than week after Russia's Luna-25 mission failed.
Russia congratulates India.
India becomes fourth nation to successfully land spacecraft on the moon.
Launch budget of about $74 million less than the cost to produce 2013 Hollywood space thriller 'Gravity'