India’s first foray to the moon due soon
This Wednesday sees another Asian country joining its neighbours in space. India is due to launch an unmanned probe to Earth’s moon, joining other space-faring countries on the final frontier.
The launch is set to commence from the Satish Dhawan Space Station at 6:20, local time. The probe in intended to do a lengthy survey of the chemical, mineral and topographical properties of the moon.
The mission will decide the future of Indian space travel, with a manned mission to the lunar surface already on the cards.
The Indian craft, named Chandrayaan-1, is the best chance for India to compete with Japan and China, its Asian neighbours who have also recently joined the space-race. As yet there are no hiccups in the launch process and everything looks to be well on track.
The recent spate of space launches by different countries is an attempt to capitalise on revenue derived from the commercial launch business.
Brett Venter
