An influential US lawmaker and eminent Indian Americans on Tuesday congratulated India for a successful moon landing.

India on August 23 scripted history as ISRO’s ambitious third Moon mission Chandrayaan-3’s Lander Module touched down on the lunar surface, making it only the fourth country to accomplish the feat, and first to reach the uncharted south pole of Earth’s only natural satellite.

“Congratulations to India for its successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon,” said Congressman Brad Sherman, a senior Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Congressional India Caucus.

“India is the first country to ever land a craft on this part of the lunar surface,” he said.

Chandrayaan-3’s landing site is also closer to the moon’s south pole than any other spacecraft in history has ventured. The south pole region is considered an area of key scientific and strategic interest for spacefaring nations, as scientists believe the region to be home to water ice deposits.

Arun Kumar, managing partner, Celesta Capital, and a former Obama administration official, said the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 marks India’s stride towards aerospace excellence.

The country’s space economy is charting an impressive trajectory, underpinned by an ambitious vision and robust collaboration between the government and private sector.

This remarkable growth story finds its roots in several key factors from initiatives like the forthcoming human lunar mission to the integration of space tech in defense applications, he said.

“Adding to this momentum is a thriving ecosystem of the nation’s space tech startups spanning diverse segments such as satellite applications, ground equipment, and launch vehicles. As investors increasingly direct their focus towards India’s burgeoning deep tech sectors, we envision multiple major enterprises emerging within India’s space tech landscape,” Kumar said.

The success of Chandrayaan-3 reflects not just a giant leap in India’s space capabilities, but also reflects its evolving stature on the global stage, said Ronak D. Desai, a leading India practitioner at Paul Hastings LLP. This achievement secures India’s position in this exclusive pantheon of nations who have transcended earth’s boundaries into the frontiers of space, he said.

“India’s voyage to the moon isn’t merely about reaching space; it speaks of a nation’s audacity to dream, its capacity to innovate, and its unwavering commitment to expanding the boundaries of human potential,” Desai said.

“With its moon landing, India has elegantly combined the intricacies of hard technology with soft power, achieving something that is simultaneously deeply national yet profoundly universal in its resonance.

“India’s successful lunar mission has brought the world together in a moment of celebration at a time when the international community is marked by multifold division and distrust,” he said.

“Chandrayaan-3’s success, while a distinct achievement for India, is cause for global celebration and a represents an undeniable testament to our shared human capacity for wonder, exploration, innovation, and the ceaseless understand something bigger than ourselves,” he said.

“This is just the latest reminder that India is rising – only this time into the heavens. The impact of India’s lunar success will be felt not just across space but within the corridors of global power, confirming its emergence as a major player in this arena on the international stage,” Desai said.