India Becomes First Nation to Land Spacecraft near Moon’s South Pole

People react as they celebrate the soft landing of the Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) mission Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon's South Pole during the live-streaming, at the Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Center, in Chennai, India, 23 August 2023. (EPA)
People react as they celebrate the soft landing of the Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) mission Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon's South Pole during the live-streaming, at the Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Center, in Chennai, India, 23 August 2023. (EPA)
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India Becomes First Nation to Land Spacecraft near Moon’s South Pole

People react as they celebrate the soft landing of the Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) mission Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon's South Pole during the live-streaming, at the Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Center, in Chennai, India, 23 August 2023. (EPA)
People react as they celebrate the soft landing of the Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) mission Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon's South Pole during the live-streaming, at the Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Center, in Chennai, India, 23 August 2023. (EPA)

India on Wednesday became the first nation to land a craft near the Moon's south pole, a historic triumph for the world's most populous nation and its ambitious, cut-price space program.  

The unmanned Chandrayaan-3, which means "Mooncraft" in Sanskrit, touched down at 6:04 pm India time (1234 GMT) as mission control technicians cheered wildly and embraced their colleagues.  

Its landing comes days after a Russian probe crashed in the same region and four years since the previous Indian attempt failed at the last moment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi smiled broadly and waved an Indian flag on a live broadcast to announce the mission's success as a triumph that extended beyond his country's borders.

"On this joyous occasion I would like to address the people of the world," said Modi from the sidelines of the BRICS diplomatic summit in South Africa.

"India's successful moon mission is not just India's alone," he added. "This success belongs to all of humanity."  

The Chandrayaan-3 mission has captivated public attention since launching nearly six weeks ago in front of thousands of cheering spectators.

Politicians staged Hindu prayer rituals to wish for the mission's success and schoolchildren followed the final moments of its descent from live broadcasts in classrooms.  

"I'm so happy, nothing else has given me more happiness," Anil Kumar, a contract employee for the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), told AFP as his colleagues celebrated.  

"I was praying for the last 48 hours for a safe landing."

Chandrayaan-3 took much longer to reach the Moon than the Apollo missions in the 1960s and 1970s, which arrived in a matter of days.  

India used rockets much less powerful than the ones the United States used back then, meaning the probe had to orbit the Earth several times to gain speed before embarking on its month-long journey.  

The lander, Vikram, which means "valor" in Sanskrit, detached from its propulsion module last week and has been sending images of the Moon's surface since entering lunar orbit on August 5.  

Now that Vikram has landed, a solar-powered rover will explore the surface and transmit data to Earth over its two-week lifespan.  

'So much agony'  

India is closing in on milestones set by global space powers such as the United States and Russia, conducting many of its missions at much lower price tags.

The South Asian nation has a comparatively low-budget space program, but one that has grown considerably in size and momentum since it first sent a probe to orbit the Moon in 2008.  

The latest mission has a cost of $74.6 million -- far lower than those of other countries, and a testament to India's frugal space engineering.  

Experts say India can keep costs low by copying and adapting existing technology, and thanks to an abundance of highly skilled engineers who earn a fraction of their foreign counterparts' wages.  

In 2014, India became the first Asian nation to put a craft into orbit around Mars and is slated to launch a three-day crewed mission into Earth's orbit by next year.  

Wednesday's landing had been eagerly awaited by ISRO after the frustrating failure of its previous mission at the last hurdle in 2019.

Back then, mission control lost contact with the Chandrayaan-2 lunar module moments before its slated landing.  

ISRO chief S. Somanath said that many of those who worked on the 2019 mission were involved in the current endeavor, and that the successful touchdown had vindicated their years of effort.  

"They went through so much agony to find out what went wrong," he said. "My salutations to all of those unsung heroes today."  

'Very, very important'

Former ISRO chief K. Sivan told AFP that India's efforts to explore the relatively unmapped lunar south pole would make a "very, very important" contribution to scientific knowledge.  

Only Russia, the United States and China have previously achieved controlled landings on the Moon.  

Russia launched a lunar probe in August -- its first in nearly half a century.  

If successful, it would have beaten Chandrayaan-3 by a matter of days to become the first mission from any nation to make a controlled landing around the south pole.  

But Luna-25 crashed on Saturday after an unspecified incident as it prepared to descend.



A TV as Big as a Bed? With Holidays Approaching, Stores Stock More Supersize Sets

A 98-inch TCL QM-8 Q-Class Mini-LED QLED 4K HDR Smart TV is displayed at the Pepcom Holiday Spectacular event, in New York, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
A 98-inch TCL QM-8 Q-Class Mini-LED QLED 4K HDR Smart TV is displayed at the Pepcom Holiday Spectacular event, in New York, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
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A TV as Big as a Bed? With Holidays Approaching, Stores Stock More Supersize Sets

A 98-inch TCL QM-8 Q-Class Mini-LED QLED 4K HDR Smart TV is displayed at the Pepcom Holiday Spectacular event, in New York, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
A 98-inch TCL QM-8 Q-Class Mini-LED QLED 4K HDR Smart TV is displayed at the Pepcom Holiday Spectacular event, in New York, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

For some television viewers, size apparently does matter.

Forget the 65-inch TVs that were considered bigger than average a decade ago. In time for the holidays, manufacturers and retailers are rolling out more XXL screens measuring more than 8 feet across. That's wider than a standard three-seat sofa or a king-size bed.

Supersize televisions only accounted for 1.7% of revenue from all TV set sales in the US during the first nine months of the year, according to market research firm Circana. But companies preparing for shoppers to go big for Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa have reason to think the growing ultra category will be a bright spot in an otherwise tepid television market, according to analysts.

The 38.1 million televisions sold with a width of at least 97 inches between January and September represented a tenfold increase from the same period last year, Circana said. Best Buy, the nation’s largest consumer electronics chain, doubled the assortment of hefty TVs — the 19 models range in price from $2,000 to $25,000 — and introduced displays in roughly 70% of its stores, The AP news.

“It’s really taken off this year," Blake Hampton, Best Buy's senior vice president of merchandising, said.

Analysts credit the emerging demand to improved technology and much lower prices. So far this year, the average price for TVs spanning at least 97 inches was $3,113 compared to $6,662 last year, according to Circana. South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung introduced its first 98-inch TV in 2019 with a hefty price tag of $99,000; it now has four versions starting at $4,000, the company said.

Anthony Ash, a 42-year-old owner of a wood pallet and recycling business, recently bought a 98-inch Sony for his 14,000-square-foot house in Bristol, Wisconsin. The device, which cost about $5,000 excluding installation fees, replaced an 85” TV in the great room off his kitchen. Ash now has 17 televisions at home and uses some to display digital art.

“We just saw that the price was affordable for what we were looking for and thought, ‘Why not?’” he said of deciding to upsize to the Sony. “You get a better TV experience with a bigger TV. You’re sitting watching TV with a person on TV that is the same size as you. You can put yourself in the scene.”

The amount of time that many people spend staring at their cellphones and tablets, including to stream movies and TV shows, is another factor driving the growth of widescreen TV screens. Overall TV sales revenue fell 4%, while the number of units sold rose 1% from the January through September period, Circana said.

Most people only invest in a television every seven years, but when they do, they typically choose bigger ones, according to Rick Kowalski, the senior director of business intelligence at the Consumer Technology Association. In the past 15 years, the size of flat-panel TVs that were shipped to US retailers and dealers grew an average of one inch a year, Kowalski said.

The coronavirus pandemic accelerated the elongation trend as people spent more time at home. In fact, screen sizes increased an average of two inches in both 2021 and 2022, and 85-inch TVs began gaining traction with consumers, Kowalski said. Shipments of 98-inch TVs to the US are picking up pace this year, and models as huge as 110-115 inches are on the market right now, he said.

“You get better resolution over time," Kowalski said. "You get better picture quality. And so just over time, it’s easier to produce those sets and improve the technology."

Best Buy's Hampton said a benefit of a colossal TV is the viewer can watch multiple shows at once, an experience he described as “incredible.”

“If you’re watching YouTube TV content or ‘ NFL Sunday Ticket,’ you can actually get four screens up, and that’s four 48-inch screens on it,” he said.

Manufacturers are also adding new features. Samsung said it designed its 98-inch lineup with a component that analyzes what the viewer is watching to increase sharpness and reduce visible noise across every scene.

James Fishler, senior vice president of the home entertainment division of Samsung's US division, said the way people watch TV and experience content is shifting.

“It's even more so about watching TV as a shared experience,” Fishler said. “They want to host a watch party and gather around their TV to watch the big game, or set up a cinematic movie experience right at home. ”

Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, its Sam’s Club division, and Chicago retailer Abt Electronics, also say they are expanding their TV ranges to meet customer demand for supersize screens.

TV industry experts say these monster TVs are beginning to encroach on home theater projectors, which create a 100- to 120-inch image that is less sharp and require rooms with blackout curtains or without windows.

“A dedicated viewing room for watching movies was exclusively the purview of projectors,” Andrew Sivori, vice president in the entertainment division of LG Electronics, another Korean manufacturer. "But you can get a much better viewing experience with direct TV."

Retailers and TV makers said the buyers trading up range from millennials and members of Generation X to the tech-native Gen Z crowd. But as Jon Abt, co-president of Abt Electronics said, “It’s still a niche business.”

“A lot of people just don’t have the space to put one of those in,” he added.

Before dreaming big for the holidays, shoppers therefore should make sure a 98-inch TV will fit. Best Buy said its Geek Squad team asks if stairwells and entry halls are large enough to accommodate delivery and installation. An augmented reality feature on the Best Buy app that allows customers to see if products are the right size has been especially helpful for XXL TVs, the retailer said.

But for those worried about having the space for viewing, the good news is that the recommended distance for a 98-inch TV is actually just 6-12 feet from the seating area. The rule of thumb is to multiple the diagonal length of the TV by 1.2 to determine the ideal viewing distance, Samsung's Fishler said.

If bigger is better in the TV department, how big can they go?

“I think we'll have to wait and see,” Fishler said.