Breaking Down Barriers: Why is India, a developing nation, investing in space programs?

After the successful soft-landing of Chandrayaan-3, every Indian is proud, and it has elevated ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) to a pedestal in front of the globe.

However, other countries are increasingly highlighting the issue with our investment and hard work in space programs. This raises questions such as, "Why is India investing in space programs rather than using this money to address the country's infrastructure deficit?

Are such programs advantageous to underdeveloped countries?

To comprehend the strategy underlying India's spending in space programs we will have to go through some points first.

History of missions in space:

In the early days of space exploration, the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) launched the first artificial satellite in 1957 named Sputnik.(Source)

This was the beginning of space exploration when NASA and the USSR went head-to-head to launch missions into space.

Later, NASA carried out 6 successful Apollo missions to the Moon. The Apollo program was intended to place humans on the Moon and safely return them to Earth.(Source)

Why was ISRO not in the picture from the beginning of space missions?

Between 1960 and 1973, the United States spent $25.8 billion on Project Apollo, which equates to nearly $257 billion in 2020 when adjusted for inflation.(Source)

This fact sums it up: India was grappling with economic challenges in the 1960s, as the country had only been independent for 13 years and ISRO was established on 15th August 1969.

 

Major Players in space exploration:

Talking about major players in space exploration programmes:

1. NASA- NASA, which reports to the United States, is at the top of the list.

2. CNSA-China National Space Administration is ranked second on this ranking.

3. ESA- The European Space Agency, headquartered in Paris, France.

4. Roscosmos- Russian Federal Space Agency, responsible for all Russian space activities.

5. Space X- A private space agency based in California, United States.

6. ISRO- Indian Space Research Organisation- is the world's sixth-largest space organisation.

7. JAXA- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency- sponsors all Japanese space programmes.

8. CNES- National Centre for Space Studies, France's space agency.

 

Why Space Programs are important:

Let's go through some examples to understand why space exploration is vital for any country.

Chandrayaan-1: On October 22, 2008, India's first mission to the Moon, Chandrayaan-1, was successfully launched from SDSC SHAR in SrihariKota. The spacecraft was orbiting the Moon at a height of 100 kilometres above the lunar surface to map the Moon's chemical, mineralogical, and photo-geologic composition. The spacecraft carried 11 scientific equipment built in India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, and Bulgaria. (Source)

The major goal of Chandrayaan-1 was to find water on the moon; hence, this mission was critical for the entire world because the discovery of water on the moon could aid in the colonization of the planet.

For improved technology- If we stop worrying about space, there will be no technology. Simply put, satellites launched into orbit by governments or private organisations assist us in handling common challenges such as weather change and other issues.

For example, the emergence of cutting-edge technology like Space 2.0 systems, as well as other advancements like artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, the Internet of Things, and robotics, offers more possibilities for contributing to the battle against climate change.

To develop new medicines- Space research can aid in the cure of pandemics. According to researchers, space technology has the potential to be highly effective in the treatment of diseases.

In tracking hurricanes with laser precision- The Cross-Track Infrared Spectrometer, used by NASA scans the atmosphere with a laser, providing exact temperature and humidity data. This data assists meteorologists in predicting storm severity and direction, allowing them to offer timely warnings to people who are likely to be in the path of a violent storm.

Economy- As we all know, not every country has a space mission, and not every country actively participates in it. However, humans require technology regardless of where they live. Here come active missions from NASA, ISRO, and others. The space agencies assist other governments in sending satellites into orbit for improved technologies on Earth and then charge them a fee. This makes countries economically robust.

According to the estimate, Department of Space revenue increased to Rs 2,780 crore in 2022-23, up from Rs 929 crore in 2020-21. (Source)

These are only a handful of the advantages of space programs.

 

Why is Chandrayan-3 a huge triumph for India and the world?

“India is on the Moon”- This sole sentence can make any Indian proud.

With the soft landing of Chandrayaan-3, India became the fourth country to land on the moon and the first to land on the moon's south pole. This is an accomplishment in and of itself for India.

But let us indulge in what Chadrayaan-3 would do on the moon.

Chandrayaan-3 will be studying the moon for 14 days = 1 lunar day.

As the moon will have direct sunlight during this time which will make our mission easier.

Chandrayaan 3 consists of 7 payloads that will investigate the moon. (Source)

Its propulsion module consists of 1 lander carrying a single payload:

1.SHAPE (Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth) to investigate the polarisation state of light reflected by the Earth's surface and atmosphere. This will help us understand what kind of light is reflected by habitable planets. This could help us in the future in locating any planet with habitable circumstances. (Source)

Vikram Lander: The Vikram lander carries 4 payloads:

2. ILSA (Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity), which will conduct research on the moon's core, will monitor moonquakes (like earthquakes) to assist us in determining what kinds of constructions can be built on the moon.

3. RAMBHA (Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive Ionosphere and Atmosphere) will be used to analyse the moon's ionosphere.

4. ChaSTE (Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment): To study the temperature fluctuations of the moon. This will be useful in the future when developing infrastructure on the moon because humans require a steady temperature to survive.

5. LRA (Laser Retroreflector Array): One of NASA's equipment, will compute the exact distance between the Earth and the Moon. As NASA prepares to send humans back to the moon, this accurate computation will aid them and others in successful space travel.

6. APXS (Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer): A Pragyan rover payload that will study and discover minerals in the moon's soil.

7. LIBS (Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope): LIBS will use light to analyse the soil on the moon.

 

Conclusion- These considerations explain why India, a developing country, is concentrating on space exploration. The estimated population of India is roughly 142.86 crores, making it the world's most populous country, and certainly, infrastructure to fulfil our demands is lacking. India's ambitious space programmes will also aid in reaching that goal. As the space sector expands, so does our economy.

Sending satellites into space with indigenous rockets will help us save money while also allowing us to earn more and have advanced technology across the country.

Do you believe humans can evolve into an interplanetary species and dwell on other planets?