In her congratulatory letter to ISRO chairman S. Somanath, Sonia Gandhi said, "This is to let you know how thrilled I was by ISRO's magnificent achievement last evening. It is a matter of great pride and excitement to all Indians, particularly the younger generation."

The former Congress chief said, "ISRO's outstanding capabilities have been built up over decades. It has had remarkable leaders and a spirit of collective endeavour has always driven it."

She said that its being "anchored" on self-reliance since the early sixties has contributed to its great successes.

"I wish the entire ISRO fraternity all the very best and extend my warm greetings to each and every member of it on this momentous occasion," she added.

Her remarks came after India’s moon lander successfully set its four legs softly and safely on the lunar soil on Wednesday evening as planned, and became the fourth nation in the world to achieve the feat.

The lander landed near the South Pole of the moon after travelling about 3.84 lakh km for over 40 days.

With the landing, a major portion of the Rs 600 crore Chandrayaan-3 mission has been realised.