
New Delhi, October 8:
Looking at the current trends, countries like US and China will be fighting it out in the planetary ring and India should keep itself away from any such rat race as the success of Chandrayaan-3 mission has already demonstrated the capability of the Indian system. Is done. A new book says such technology intensive projects are off the table.
In “Chandrayaan-3: India on the Moon”, Ajay Lele, advisor to the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, presents an overview of the Chandrayaan-3 mission and covers the evolution of India’s Moon programme. It also traces India’s journey from the early 2000s to the moon.
The author says that the success of Chandrayaan-3 mission bodes well for India’s commercial space sector, and it demonstrates the ability of the Indian system to undertake such technology intensive projects, thereby attracting more investment in the space sector. hopefully.
“From an economic perspective, space is emerging as a promising sector for the future and it can be said that India’s space program has flourished in time. India’s Chandrayaan-3 is important from scientific, technical and commercial point of view. India belongs to the group of developing countries considered part of the Global South,” he writes in the book published by Rupa.
He says that the geopolitical implications of this success can be seen as India getting the reputation of ‘soft power’.
Lele then asks: Is India part of the so-called ‘moon race’?
“There is no reason for India to join this ‘race’. Just because some states are trying to reach the Moon around the same period, it should not be assumed that India is trying to win a race. It is important to realize that competition in space was a defining part of Cold War era power politics,” he wants to reply.
According to the author, today every country is planning its space programs based on its technical and financial capabilities.
“It is well understood that states are going to the Moon for planetary resources. But at the same time, states understand that going it alone is not a practical option and that is why ideas like the Artemis program have been put forward. Even China and Russia are interested in setting up something like a Moon Corridor.
“Today, states that reach the Moon have varying levels of expertise; Some are just beginners while others have very developed programs. He argues that to say that a state like India aspiring to send a spacecraft to the Moon’s orbit is in a race with another state that has already launched a successful Moon sample return mission is misleading.
Lele writes that given current trends, “most likely it will be the US and China fighting in the planetary ring”.
However, he suggests that countries like India should “keep themselves away from any such rat race”.
“The success of Chandrayaan-3 tells us about ISRO’s capabilities and what they can achieve in the future. Moreover, ISRO has good relations with all the major spacefaring states and should think of planning joint collaboration. Now, the time has come for India to clearly articulate its lunar agenda and plan its future course of action,” he writes. (PTI)