India has made history by becoming the first country to land a craft near the moon¡¯s south pole ¡ª a ¡°game-changing¡± development that highlights the country¡¯s emergence as a space power as it moves forward with more ambitious missions and opens its space programs to private investors.

The landing module of the Indian Space Research Organisation¡¯s Chandrayaan-3 mission touched down on the moon¡¯s surface Wednesday evening in a landmark event that was followed live by millions in the world¡¯s most populous nation.

¡°Generally speaking, people have always considered India¡¯s space capabilities as junior to those of Russia, Israel and Japan,¡± said Peter Garretson, senior fellow in Defense Studies at the American Foreign Policy Council.