Congrats to @ISRO on the launch of Chandrayaan 2, a mission to study the Moon. We're proud to support your mission… https://t.co/HekSWsi4w0 — NASA (@NASA) 1563802770000

Special moments that will be etched in the annals of our glorious history! The launch of #Chandrayaan2 illustrate… https://t.co/qCEs1JmLGr — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 1563789052000

The historic launch of #Chandrayaan2 from Sriharikota is a proud moment for all Indians. Congratulations to our sci… https://t.co/dG7rKu6g9G — President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) 1563789191000

WASHINGTON/LONDON: Nasa on Monday congratulated its Indian counterpart Isro (Indian Space Research Organisation) on the successful launch of its second moon mission Chandrayaan-2 and said it was looking forward to find out what the Indian space agency learns about the lunar south pole."Congrats to Isro on the launch of Chandrayaan 2 , a mission to study the Moon. We're proud to support your mission comms using our Deep Space Network and look forward to what you learn about the lunar South pole where we will send astronauts on our #Artemis mission in a few years," Nasa (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) tweeted.The success of Chandrayaan-2 also made global headlines with a leading US newspaper writing "India is on its way to the moon", shortly after Isro's powerful rocket GSLV MkIII M1 lifted off from the spaceport in Sriharikota at 2.43pm and successfully placed the 3,850-kg Chandrayaan-2 into the earth orbit about 16 minutes later.The launch of Chandrayaan-2 comes close on the heels of the 50th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11, when man first landed on the moon, The Washington Post commented.India has also announced its intention of sending a manned space mission by 2022, the leading American newspaper noted.India's low-cost, homegrown technology that has powered its space programme is a source of national pride and inspiration, it said.Quoting experts, the Post said the successful second attempt so soon after the aborted launch highlights Isro's confidence in its technological capabilities, which have not been hamstrung by its paltry $1.8 billion budget. In comparison, Nasa received $21.5 billion in funds this year, the Post noted."If the rest of the mission goes as well, India will become the fourth nation — after the United States, Russia and China — to land on the moon, more than 200,000 miles away. Its target is a region near the mysterious south pole, where no other missions have explored," The New York Times commented."This would be a huge leap forward for India's ambitious space programme, and scientists and defence experts everywhere are watching to see whether the country can pull it off," it said."So are countless Indians. There are few things as unifying for a nation as a successful space programme, and, over the past few weeks, Chandrayaan-2 posters have popped up everywhere and schoolchildren have been hunched over rockets made from soda bottles, learning the physics of rocketry," the report noted.This mission is significant for India - the country wants to become a major space player and put Indian astronauts in space by 2022, CNN commented.In 2014, India became the first Asian nation to reach the Red Planet, when it put the Mangalyaan probe into orbit around Mars. The Mars Orbiter Mission famously cost $74 million - less than the $100 million than Hollywood spent making space thriller "Gravity."In 2017, India launched a record 104 satellites in one mission while operating a low-cost budget, the CNN report noted.The Guardian, a leading British newspaper, reported that Chandrayaan-2 aims to become the first mission to conduct a surface landing on the lunar south pole region, where it will collect crucial information about the moon's composition.It would be India's first surface landing on the moon – a feat previously achieved by only Russia, the US and China, the paper noted.The Times newspaper of London reported that India has launched a rocket to the moon, aiming to become the fourth country to land a craft on the lunar surface and cement its emergence as a leading space power.It is the most complex mission ever attempted by India's space agency, the BBC commented while noting that there was applause in the Isro control room minutes after the launch, as the rocket took off towards the outer atmosphere.China's state-run Xinhua news agency gave extensive coverage to Chandrayaan-2's launch and reactions of President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi .Pakistan's leading newspapers on their websites displayed the news of the launch by international news agencies.Meanwhile, the success of Chandrayaan-2 has brought a huge relief for the Isro scientists after they postponed the launch on July 15 following a technical glitch in the rocket.The Rs 978-crore unmanned mission also brought woman power to the fore as it was helmed by two woman scientists of the Isro - Ritu Karidhal and M Vanitha, the Mission and Project directors respectively.The Lander and the Rover are expected to touch down near the Lunar South Pole in early September, becoming the first ever spacecraft to land in that region. The Lunar South Pole remains unexplored till date.