As its lander approached the moon’s surface on Wednesday and its moment of history drew near, the Indian Space Research Organisation switched its online telecast to split-screen mode.
One half of the screen showed ISRO engineers and officials waiting anxiously in the mission control room. The other half showed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who watched the video link.
Minutes after 6pm India time, the Chandrayaan-3 module touched down, and both halves of the screen burst into celebration.
For India, the landing on the moon’s south pole heralded its arrival as a modern scientific power that is outshining some traditional space- faring nations, such as Russia. For Modi, a staunch
