China vs. India To The Moon
India’s Chandrayaan-1 and China’s Chang’e-1
Although both countries deny they are engaged in a 21st century rerun of the 1960s race to the moon between the United States and the then-Soviet Union, both China and India are planning to launch moon shots within a year in the latest sign of the two Asian powerhouses’ intensifying rivalry and growing technological prowess.China said last month that it expected to launch its first unmanned lunar orbiter, the Chang’e-1 (named after China’s mythological “lady in the moon“) before the end of this year, while India announced that it could send up a similar space probe as early as April 2008. The programs should be scientifically complementary, with Chinese scientists stressing Chang’e’s goal of improving understanding of the geochemistry of the lunar surface and India focusing on three-dimensional mapping.
Non-governmental groups have put the Indian space agency on the defensive about the program, arguing it is hard for a country that is home to a quarter of the world’s poor to justify costly space missions. Manmohan Singh, India’s prime minister, begs to differ, saying the country must deal with the fundamental problems of development and at the same time aspire to operate on the frontiers of science. We all know he just wants to go to the moon! India’s Chandrayaan-1 probe, which will map the moon’s surface for chemicals using a spectrometer and terrain-mapping cameras during a two-year mission, would cost $96 million, a 10th of ISRO’s annual budget.
