Welcome to the club, India! You’re on the Moon!

India became the first country to land a spacecraft near the Moon’s south pole on Wednesday. That’s a big, big win for a big, big country.

India has more people than any nation in the world. Now it also belongs to an honored club. That’s the group of nations that have landed on the Moon. The United States, the Soviet Union, and China also achieved the milestone.

The Indian Moon lander touched down on the Moon at 6:04 p.m. India Standard Time. Space scientists in Bengaluru, India, clapped and cheered. Excited people across the country watched. They crowded around televisions in offices, shops, restaurants, and homes.

Why the south pole? That part of the Moon has shadowed craters. Scientists wonder if those hold frozen water. If so, maybe future astronauts could use it for drinking water. Maybe they could use it to make rocket fuel.

A lunar rover slid down a flap from the lander. It will conduct experiments. What will it learn about the minerals that make up the Moon’s surface?

Just a few days before India’s landing, Russia’s spacecraft Luna-25 was also headed to the Moon. But it spun out of control. It crashed.

India’s leaders want to send a message. They want to show that India is a modern world power. Their Moon mission will last another two weeks. Next up for India? Sending a person to the Moon too.

He made the Moon to mark the seasons; the Sun knows its time for setting. — Psalm 104:19