India's "Chandrayaan-3" has been placed in the moon's orbit after three weeks.

The Indian Space Agency announced on Saturday that the "Chandrayaan-3" spacecraft has successfully entered the moon's orbit more than three weeks after its launch.

If the mission goes according to plan, the spacecraft will likely touch down on the moon's South Pole during the first or second equinox.

Before this, only China, Russia and the United States had succeeded in a controlled landing on the surface of the moon.

India's space program has grown since sending a probe into the lunar orbit in 2008. The country's previous attempt to land a probe on the surface of the moon failed four years ago after the probe lost contact with Earth moments after landing.

This space mission worth 74.6 million dollars is much less than similar programs of other countries.

The launch is India's first major mission since the Narendra Modi government announced policies to encourage investment in spaceflight and satellite-related businesses.

Experts say India can keep the cost of space operations low by copying, adapting existing space technology and having skilled engineers.

India is trying to increase its two percent share of the commercial space market by sending private payloads into orbit.