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India enters the space race

Harun ur Rashid
PRIDE and patriotism swept India October, 22, after the successful launch of an unmanned mission to the moon for the first time.
India's national television channels broadcast the event live. Some scientists thumped their chests, hugged each other and clapped as the rocket shot up into space.
The lunar orbiter Chandrayaan-1 took off aboard an Indian built rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh) on India's south-eastern coast, some 80 km from Chennai (Madras).
The Chandrayaan-1, with a launch weight of about 1.3 tonnes, is shaped like a rectangular prism and carries 11 different tools.
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, who was on his way to visit Japan, saluted the scientists for the successful launch and claimed that India was one of the six nations
(US, Russia, European Space Agency, Japan and China are the others) that have carried-out space programs.
India has joined Japan and China in the space program in Asia. This is a great leap forward for India in space technology'.
India is hoping that the mission will boost its space program into the same league as regional powerhouses Japan and China.
Objective of the spacecraft Chief among the mission's goals is mapping not only the surface of the moon, but also whatlies beneath.
A principal objective is to look for Helium 3, a very rare isotope on earth, which is used to power nuclear fusion and could be a valuable source of energy in the future, some scientists believe.
During its mission, Chandrayaan-1 will also measure radioactivity on the moon’s surface and beam back elevation maps of planet earth's nearest neighbour.
Of the 11 instruments, five are Indian, three are from the European Space Agency, two from the US, including a radar that can search for ice under lunar poles, and one from Bulgaria.
The Chandrayaan-1 is on a two year orbital mission to provide a
detailed map of the mineral, chemical and topographical characteristics of the moon’s surface.
S.Satish, a spokesman from the India Space Research Organisation told the media "outer space will be the frontier for mankind in the future. So orbiting the moon and having an intermediate station is a very significant event"
The S80 million mission to the moon has put India on the inside track of the fast-developing Asian space race, testing systems for a possible future moon landing.
If the space probe does achieve a safe landing, India will be only the sixth country to reach the moon.
India hopes to launch Chandrayaan-2 and land a rover on the moon in 2011, and eventually launch a manned space program.
Commercial implications
India first staked its case for a share of the commercial launch market by sending an Italian satellite into orbit in April last year. Then, in January of this year, it launched an Israeli spy satellite despite protests from Iran.
India started its space program in
1963, developing its own satellites and launch vehicles to reduce dependence on overseas agencies. Malcolm Walter, a space scientist from Australia reportedly said that India was following a natural course in developing its agenda in space as far as possible. He said: "Space is no longer a new frontier (...) It is a field in which they cannot afford not to be involved."
Furthermore, India, Japan and China see their space programs as an important symbol of their international stature and economic development as they venture into carving a larger slice of the lucrative commercial satellite launch market
Security ramifications
The growing interest in space also has security implications, with some analysts warning of a potential arms race as these emerging powers look to develop military applications in space, both for intelligence gathering and potential space-based weapons
China's progress in space technology has worried America. In January of this year, China conducted an antisatellite test and destroyed one of its
own satellites in space by firing a missile. This has been a concern for the US because China has now acquired capability to destroy US spy satellites in space. Likewise, India can use its space technology to destroy spy satellites over India.
It is noted that the 1967 Outer Space TYeaty bars state parties from placing nuclear weapons or any other weapons of mass destruction in orbit, installing them on the moon or any other celestial body, or otherwise stationing them in outer
It exclusively limits the use of the . moon and other celestial bodies to peaceful purposes and expressly prohibits their use for testing weapons of any kind, conducting military manoeuvres, or establishing military bases, installations, and fortifications However, the TYeaty does not prohibit the placement of conventional weapons in orbit
The treaty also explicitly forbids any government from claiming a celestial resource such as the moon or a planet, since they are tthe province of mankind. The Treaty states, in fact that "outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means." Space-race in Asia
For decades, the space race was seen as a two-horse competition between Cold War rivals the United States and the Soviet Union.
But in recent years a new space race has developed among the emerging powers of Asia.
China’s most recent manned space mission, which included its first ever spacewalk, marked the latest showcase achievement for a nation intent on demonstrating its technological douL
But China is not the only Asian nation investing heavily in space --Japan, India and South Korea also all operate ambitious space programs with plans for a range of manned and unmanned missions.
India plans to send a man into space by 2014, and a manned moon fnwsien thereafter^ '
"Many observers think that India still has a long way to catch up with China, which, together with the US, Russia and the European Space Agency, is already established in the commercial sector.
China sent three men in one space ship on September 25, and two of them exited from the capsule and took spacewalks on September 27.
Chinese officials have spoken of a manned mission in 2020, and the long-term ambition is to establish a rival international space station.
Through this launch. India will also drive home its status as a rising power with more than one billion people by leaving its national flag on the moon. New Delhi hopes to get ahead of China in sending a manned moon mission.
"The moon belongs to the global community and nobody can make special daim on its surface." said G Madhavan Nair, head of the ISRO. "But our presence will be established through this mission."
Bamsier Harun ur Rashd Former Bangladesh Ambassador to the UN, Geneva