When India attempted history last night, trying to become the first country to land near the south pole of the Moon, it had the attention of the entire world. Though the Indian Space Research Organisation or ISRO lost contact with Chanderyaan-2s Vikram Lander moments before it could touch down on the Moon, words of encouragement have been flowing in. And the most flattering ones, perhaps, have come from NASA.

The US space agency, no stranger to space or the Moon, has said ISRO "inspired us with its journey" and that "space is hard". NASA said it looks forward to future opportunities to explore the solar system together.

The mission stood out because of its low cost of about $140 million. The United States spent the equivalent of more than $100 billion on its Apollo missions. The mission also holds great significance for future space exploration missions, including those to Mars.

ISRO, in its latest statement, called the mission "highly complex", which took a significant technological leap to bring together an orbiter, lander and rover to explore the Moon's south pole.