New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS): Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday congratulated India on the successful moon landing of Chandrayaan-3, saying it is a big step forward in space exploration and certainly a testament to the impressive progress made by India in the area of science and technology.

In a Facebook post, the Russian Embassy in India conveyed the message of Putin to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Russian President's message read, "Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on the occasion of the successful landing of the Indian space station Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon near its South Pole.

"This is a big step forward in space exploration and certainly a testament to the impressive progress made by India in the area of science and technology. Kindly convey my sincere congratulations and best wishes for new achievements to the leadership and staff of the Indian Space Research Organisation."

The message from Putin came soon after India’s moon lander successfully set its four legs softly and safely on the lunar soil on Wednesday evening as planned, thus becoming becoming the fourth nation in the world to achieve the feat after Russia, the US and China.

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. The remaining portion is the moon rover rolling down from the lander, moving around and doing the programmed experiments.