In IMF Chief's Chandrayaan-3 Praise, An Interstellar Reference: Report

Chandrayaan-3 touched down on the lunar south pole at 6.04 pm on August 23 after a flawless 41-day voyage, in a giant leap for India's space programme.

Several world leaders at the G20 Summit here congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the success of Chandrayaan-3, with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva hailing India for achieving the feat "in a budget less than that of the movie Interstellar", according to sources.

During various sessions and meetings of the G20, many world leaders showered praise on India for its lunar mission and also lauded the successful launch of Aditya L1, India's first space-based mission to study the Sun.

While the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak congratulated India and the entire world for Chandrayaan-3, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa hailed the country for the feat and recalled that he had watched a telecast of the lunar landing while taking a break during the BRICS meeting, sources said.