Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulates NASA on Pluto mission

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi tonight congratulated NASA for its success in space exploration as its spaceship sent data and photos of Pluto.

"A landmark feat in space exploration as NASA's aptly named spaceship sends back data & photos of Pluto from almost 5 billion kilometres away," he tweeted.

"Congratulations to @NASA team. Their efforts will provide rich insights to enhance our understanding of our solar system," Modi added.

He was commenting on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft getting humanity's first up-close look at Pluto.

The signal received back home in the US confirms the probe has sailed pass its target successfully and it is now set to transmit a wealth of data - including several new high resolution images - from Pluto.

Pluto is the first Kuiper Belt object visited by a mission from Earth.