Moon slugfest

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: Space exploration is no longer the monopoly of the US, Russia, UK or France. Asia’s two giants, India and China seem to have arrived in the arena and as the race to the moon intensifies, one thing is becoming evident: the rapid rise of the technological prowess of the region.

Emboldened by their indigenous technological advances, both the nations are leaving no stone unturned to stamp their presence in space—be it by means of their individual lunar missions or concerted attempts to enter the $2 billion satellite launch business.

China has recently celebrated its first-ever space walk in an effort towards building a space station and push further into areas dominated by Russia and the US till now. The spacewalk was mainly aimed at testing China’s mastery of the technology involved. The main task was to retrieve a rack attached to the outside of the orbital module containing an experiment involving solid lubricants.

The Chinese spacewalk now paves the way for assembling a space station from two Shenzhou orbital modules, the next major goal of China’s manned spaceflight programme. China is also pursuing lunar exploration and may attempt to land a man on the moon in the next decade— possibly ahead of National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (Nasa) 2020 target date for returning to the moon.

China launched its first manned mission, Shenzhou 5, in 2003, becoming only the third country after Russia and the US to launch a man into space. That was followed by a two-man mission in 2005. Apart from challenging Russia and the US, the recent spacewalk ups the ante in China’s competition with other aspiring Asian space powers Japan and India. Along with this feat, China is also seeking to gain a foothold in the satellite launch business.

Analysts opine that India has a distinct advantage in this field, having launched satellites for many nations onboard its launch vehicles. Interestingly, China took extreme caution in the face of the complexity of walking in space. Their mission was supported by Russian experts. Going forward, China plans to mass produce the next version of the Shenzhou space vehicle to service a future space station. It even claims it may make such missions available to other countries.

Like India, cooperation between China and other nations has so far been limited in the realm of space missions. The US has refused Chinese involvement in the international space station operated with Russia for fear that Beijing could gain technical secrets related to its arms industry.

Meanwhile, India’s lunar probe is on fast track as well. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) officials inform that Chandrayaan-I will be integrated with the launch rocket, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C11 (PSLV-C 11) and the lunar orbiter will begin its 50-hour pre-launch countdown on the night of October 19 this month. Being launched at a total cost of Rs 386 crore, Chandrayaan-I will carry 11 payloads, which would include those from the US, Sweden, Japan, Germany and Bulgaria.

The upgraded version of the launch rocket PSLV-C11 will have a lift-off weight of 316 tonne. It will be used to inject the 1,304-kg Chandrayaan-I into the orbit. Subsequently, the spacecraft’s own propulsion system will be used to position it in a 100-km polar orbit around the moon.

The main objective of Chandrayaan-I is investigation of the distribution of various minerals and chemical elements and high-resolution three-dimensional mapping of the entire lunar surface. Chandrayaan-I project chief M Annadurai informs that the mission is the first step towards a manned lunar mission. The technology used for the Chandrayan mission is 10 times better than other countries. Moreover, ISRO excels in remote sensing and imaging and hence the moon can be photographed from a close range of five metres from the ground, he adds.

The Chandrayaan mission aims to cover the entire moon and gather as much information as possible. Currently, Chandrayaan is going through crucial tests in Bangalore. Some of these include the vibration and acoustic tests. As part of this, the spacecraft will be subject to heavy vibration first and then the sound of four jet planes will be put together to check its endurance.

However, with just a few weeks to go, Chandrayan will not land on the moon due to technical difficulties. The spacecraft would hover around the moon, say ISRO officials working on the moon mission. ISRO has recently established a 32-metre diameter antenna near Bangalore to provide tracking and command support for Chandrayaan-I. The antenna and associated systems are the first steps in building the Indian Deep Space Network, which is vital for facilitating a two-way radio communication link between the spacecraft and the earth.

In addition, a sophisticated X-ray camera made by scientists and engineers from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) of UK is set to launch into space on October 22 aboard the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft. This is the first time the UK and India have collaborated in space science.