{"id":82117,"date":"2023-09-06T06:00:54","date_gmt":"2023-09-05T20:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=82117"},"modified":"2023-09-05T18:03:58","modified_gmt":"2023-09-05T08:03:58","slug":"indias-space-triumph","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/indias-space-triumph\/","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s space triumph"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

In 2014, after the Mars Orbiter Mission<\/a>, known as Mangalyaan, made India the first Asian country<\/a> to reach Mars orbit, and the first country ever to do so in its maiden attempt, the New York Times<\/em> published a cartoon<\/a>. Well-fed Westerners lounged inside a house labelled \u2018Elite Space Club\u2019, while India, represented by a turbaned peasant with a cow in tow, knocked on the door. It was a patronising and racist image, and it triggered a furore in India<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now, the Chandrayaan-3 mission has made India the first country to land a lunar rover on the moon\u2019s south pole<\/a>, and a new cartoon<\/a> began making the rounds. This time, the peasant and his cow are inside the house, now labelled \u2018Moon South Pole\u2019, while Americans, Russians and others line up at the door, rockets in hand, to request admission.<\/p>\n

Indians are proud of their space program, for good reason. One of the world\u2019s oldest and most ambitious, it arose from the Physical Research Laboratory, established in Ahmedabad in 1947, the year of India\u2019s independence and brutal partition with Pakistan. In 1962, India\u2019s visionary first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, created<\/a> the Indian National Committee for Space Research, marking the country\u2019s official entry into space exploration. In 1969, INCOSPAR became the Indian Space Research Organisation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Since then, ISRO has undertaken three missions to the moon (Chandrayaan-1, -2, and -3) in addition to the one to Mars, and created its own launch vehicles and satellites<\/a>. India also launched its first solar mission, Aditya-L1<\/a>, this month, and aims to have two or three people in low-earth orbit<\/a> by the end of this year. (An Indian astronaut orbited<\/a> the planet on a Soviet spacecraft in 1984.)<\/p>\n

India owes its remarkable progress in space exploration in large part to Nehru\u2019s dedication to developing a \u2018scientific temper<\/a>\u2019 among the Indian people, his understanding of technology\u2019s role in national advancement, and his faith in the country\u2019s scientists. Though India was beset by poverty, illiteracy, food insecurity and disease, Nehru knew that it must\u2014and could\u2014aim for the stars.<\/p>\n

Nehru\u2019s doctrine of self-reliance, within tight budgetary constraints, had an enduring influence on India\u2019s space program, exemplified by ISRO\u2019s decision to take a slower, fuel-saving approach<\/a> to the moon. Both Mangalyaan and Chandrayaan-3 were the least expensive<\/a> ventures of their kind, costing about a tenth of equivalent NASA missions. They cost less even than Hollywood depictions of space missions: Mangalyaan cost less<\/a> than the film Gravity<\/em>, and Chandrayaan-3 less than Interstellar<\/em>.<\/p>\n

ISRO\u2019s strengths extend well beyond frugality. With a focus on indigenous development of technologies and techniques, it has become a premier manufacturer of both launch vehicles and satellites, and a sought-after provider of low-cost launch services<\/a> to other countries. Its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, with 24 successful flights, has a proven track record. In February 2017, India launched a record-breaking<\/a> 104 (mostly American) satellites simultaneously on a single rocket.<\/p>\n

How far we have come since the early 1960s, when a classic photograph<\/a> by Henri Cartier-Bresson showed Indian rocket parts being transported on a bullock cart. And this is just the beginning: India\u2019s space program is set literally to skyrocket. Experts predict that India could account for at least 10% of the global space economy<\/a> in the next decade, up sharply from 2%<\/a> currently.<\/p>\n

India\u2019s space program bolsters its internal development, having made important contributions even in seemingly unrelated areas<\/a>, such as disaster management, education, health care, agriculture, fisheries and urban planning. Moreover, it serves India\u2019s global diplomacy, enhancing the country\u2019s credibility and influence. Those who once scoffed at the idea that a poor developing country aspired to send rockets into space must concede that India is a technological force to be reckoned with.<\/p>\n

As India\u2019s lander touched down on the moon, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wisely resisted parochial triumphalism and hailed the achievement<\/a> as a victory for \u2018all of humanity<\/a>\u2019. But he also correctly noted that the achievement \u2018mirrors the aspirations and capabilities of 1.4 billion Indians\u2019.<\/p>\n

By showcasing its technological prowess, India\u2019s space program reminds the world not only of its innovative capabilities, but also of its capacity to help shape solutions to global challenges in other areas, from cyberspace regulation to peacekeeping. India is showing the world that it can be a standard-setter, rather than just a follower of rules made by developed countries.<\/p>\n

Chandrayaan-3\u2019s success strengthens the confidence with which India faces the world. The country has spent the year presiding over the G20 and is an influential voice for the global south. But it has also been walking a geopolitical tightrope lately, playing leading roles in both the Quad (alongside Australia, Japan and the United States) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (with Russia and China). While its relations with Western countries have never been closer, it shares a tense disputed frontier with China, and has an increasingly complicated relationship with its traditional partner, Russia.<\/p>\n

How these relationships, and India\u2019s global role more broadly, will evolve remains to be seen. But the country\u2019s achievements in space undoubtedly strengthen its diplomatic hand, not least because of the respect they inspire in other countries.<\/p>\n

Looking up at the sky after Chandrayaan-3, Indians can contemplate a glorious future. New horizons beckon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 2014, after the Mars Orbiter Mission, known as Mangalyaan, made India the first Asian country to reach Mars orbit, and the first country ever to do so in its maiden attempt, the New York …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1170,"featured_media":82118,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[69,2589,2030,1640,332],"class_list":["post-82117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-india","tag-moon","tag-science","tag-space","tag-technology"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIndia\u2019s space triumph | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/indias-space-triumph\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"India\u2019s space triumph | The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In 2014, after the Mars Orbiter Mission, known as Mangalyaan, made India the first Asian country to reach Mars orbit, and the first country ever to do so in its maiden attempt, the New York ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/indias-space-triumph\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ASPI.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-09-05T20:00:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-09-05T08:03:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1615816678.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"681\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Shashi Tharoor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Shashi Tharoor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/\",\"name\":\"The Strategist\",\"description\":\"ASPI's analysis and commentary site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/indias-space-triumph\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1615816678.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1615816678.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":681,\"caption\":\"Students wave India's national flag as they gather in support of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft in Mumbai on August 22, 2023. 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