Elon Musk Has Praise For Chandrayaan 3 Moon Lander: 'Good For India'

This story was first published on the Benzinga India portal.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gave a nod of approval to India’s Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission, especially when he learned it’s cheaper than the production cost of the film ‘Interstellar’. “Good for India!” he tweeted.

Chandrayaan 3 landing: As the clock ticks down to Chandrayaan-3’s anticipated moon landing on August 23 at 6:04 pm IST, India’s excitement is palpable.

Launched on July 14 after pandemic-induced delays, Chandrayaan-3 is on a historic trajectory. If all goes as planned, India will be the pioneer to touch down on the moon’s elusive south pole. And here’s the kicker: India’s doing this without burning a hole in its pocket.

See Also: Tesla's Model Y Lights Up Mahindra's Pune Facility with a Surprise Visit

The mission’s budget? A modest INR 6,150 million ($74.20 million), making it one of India’s most economical space ventures. To break it down, the lander, rover, and propulsion came in at INR 2500 million ($30.16 million), while launch services rounded off at INR 3650 million ($44.04 million).

For a fun comparison, consider this: Tom Cruise’s recent ‘Mission: Impossible’ film budget was anywhere between INR 16 billion ($200 million) to INR 24 billion ($290 million), while the budget for the local film ‘Adipurush’ stood at INR 7000 million ($84.46 million).

In fact, Chandrayaan-3 is even more cost-effective than its older sibling, Chandrayaan-2, which had an INR 9,780 million ($118 million) price tag.

Read Next: Tesla's Model Y Lights Up Mahindra's Pune Facility With A Surprise Visit