October 21, 2008
INDIA takes a giant leap tomorrow with the launch of a lunar mission that will boost its space program into the same league as regional powerhouses Japan and China.
The unmanned lunar orbiting spacecraft Chandrayaan-1 is scheduled to blast off aboard an Indian-built rocket at 6:20 am (11:50 AEDT) tomorrow from Sriharikota on India’s southeastern coast.
For India, the $US80 million ($113.52 million) mission puts the country on the inside track of a fast-developing Asian space race.
âIt is a proud moment for us,â Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal said.
As well as looking to carve out a larger slice of the lucrative commercial satellite launch market, India, Japan and China also see their space programs as an important symbol of their international stature and economic development.
The Chandrayaan-1 is being sent on a two-year orbital mission to provide a detailed map of the mineral, chemical and topographical characteristics of the moon’s surface.
âIt’s a landmark mission … establishing India’s credentials as a leader in space technology,â said K. Kasturirangan, former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation.
âThis effort and similar efforts in the coming years will put India in a unique position to be an active partner in major global efforts involving planetary exploration and exploitation,â Kasturirangan told AFP.
India first staked its case for a share of the commercial launch market by sending an Italian satellite into orbit in April last year. In January, it launched an Israeli spy satellite in the face of Iranian protests.
But it still has a long way to go to catch up with China which, together with the US, Russia and the European Space Agency, is already well established in the commercial launch sector.
Chinese officials have spoken of a manned mission to the moon in the future, after following the US and the former Soviet Union last month by carrying out a space walk.
A more immediate goal is the establishment of an orbiting space lab, with Beijing’s long-term ambition to develop a rival to the International Space Station, a joint project involving the US, Russia, Japan, Canada and a clutch of European countries.
Japan has also been boosting its space program and has set a goal of sending an astronaut to the moon by 2020.
Japan’s first lunar probe, Kaguya, was successfully launched in September last year, releasing two baby satellites that will be used to study the gravity fields of the moon, among other projects.
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