India’s lunar laurel
India has become the fourth member of the group of nations that have landed spacecraft on the moon, after its Chandrayaan-3 “mooncraft” reached the surface on Wednesday. But India’s ambitious flight actually accomplished something that the US, Soviet-Russian, and Chinese space programs have all failed to do — land on the moon’s southern pole. The landing came 15 years after India first orbited the moon and is a credit to India’s commitment to investing in scientific advancement. The Indian Space Research Organisation’s efforts have proven that even developing nations can, and should, gaze beyond the stars. India actually tried to land on the moon once before, in 2019, but that attempt failed at the last minute after the lander’s on-board computer overshot the landing site and came in too fast, crashing into the surface and spreading debris over several kilometres. However, in 2014, India did become the first Asian country to orbit Mars.
Chandrayaan-3 is also the most cost-effective moon missions ever, estimated to cost between $75-90 million, compared to the unsuccessful Chandrayaan-2 mission, which cost $117 million. It is also much less than most summer movies — Avatar 2 cost $350 million, RRR cost about $80 million, and the new Indiana Jones movie is expected to lose over $100 billion. Cost-cutting measures included the unmanned nature of the mission, and the use of less powerful rockets, which added travel time but significantly reduced weight and other design-related costs. The lander design was also reportedly modified. A solar-powered rover will spend the next two weeks transmitting data back to the Indian space programme.
Some critics attacked New Delhi for spending on the programme while millions still live in poverty and infrastructure on Indian soil is still lacking — at least 26 people died in a bridge collapse on Wednesday. Meanwhile, every developed country with a space programme is also addressing social problems — a balance can be struck between scientific advancement and development.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 25th, 2023.
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