{"id":13128,"date":"2013-11-15T10:43:45","date_gmt":"2013-11-15T05:13:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/?p=13128"},"modified":"2015-05-28T14:39:25","modified_gmt":"2015-05-28T09:09:25","slug":"indias-mars-mission-is-it-an-attempt-to-counter-chinas-space-ambition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/politics\/indias-mars-mission-is-it-an-attempt-to-counter-chinas-space-ambition","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s Mars Mission: Is it an Attempt to Counter China\u2019s Space Ambition?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The two giant neighbors and heavyweight players in Asia have the habit of hogging the limelight, every time they are at loggerheads over bilateral issues. It\u2019s not an exaggeration to say that they get featured regularly in the spotlight section of leading dailies. They are also a personal favourite of the paparazzi. \u00a0If I am allowed to be little flippant, I would \u00a0say that India-China relation<\/strong> is akin to that of the Khans of Bollywood. They are big in their own ways and often out of sync with one another. This complex equation between the two nations has often stoked speculations in the past, and this time too it has made its presence felt.<\/p>\n

As the world watched ISRO\u2019s satellite launcher vanishing into the space within minutes of the launch of its Mars Mission, repercussions captured by the international media made for an enlightening read. American media was quick to assume that the successful launch of India\u2019s Mars mission could be “a symbolic coup” against China (Ask Pakistan government or the Maldivian ex-president how it feels to be upstaged). \u00a0A reputed news channel tried to put this incident into larger context and pass this off as \u201cintensifying space race\u201d in Asia.<\/p>\n

The reactions from the US became more intriguing as one of the eminent experts expressed how New Delhi sees Beijing’s recent accomplishments in space exploration as a threat to its status in Asia, and this mission is an attempt to leapfrog the competition. While US spelt concern over \u201cdangerous ramifications\u201d, other countries were somewhat skeptical about the amount of scientific gain this mission is likely to achieve. \u00a0Some tagged it as a \u2018modest\u2019 exploration with “relatively simple” instrumentation.<\/p>\n

If we keep aside the dialogues pertaining to global space ambition, we will be left with the views from India and China to analyze. China sent across a dispassionate reaction maintaining a neutral tone. Chinese Foreign Ministry official was of the opinion that every nation has \u201cthe right to make peaceful exploration and use of outer space.\u201d As if to add a caveat at the end of his statement, he made an appeal to the international community to \u201cmake joint efforts to ensure enduring peace and sustainable development of outer space\u201d. \u00a0Refuting the allegations that China is apprehensive of India\u2019s space programme, the official referred to the \u201cmutual trust\u201d between two nations and the relation of cooperation existing between them.<\/p>\n

However, the official Chinese media spoke a different language. State-run news daily made a sharp criticism of India for spending so much money on Mars Mission despite having millions of poor people.\u00a0 To further substantiate its criticism, the news daily went on to add that India\u2019s ambitious goal is to have an advantage over China. India has tried to play down any scope of getting into space race with its neighbor. The statement from ISRO chief echoes the same sentiment as he posited that the \u201cthrust of space science in India has always been people-centric.\u201d<\/p>\n

ISRO\u2019s mission may not match the advanced exploration ambition of NASA but it is certainly more cost-effective. With the Mars mission costing Indian exchequer somewhere between $73 and $83 Million, it is almost one-sixth of the amount earmarked for NASA\u2019s Mars mission. It is to be seen whether India can break the jinx of \u2018failure at first attempt\u2019. \u00a0As a layman, I would prefer to look at it this way. Even if India fails to join the elite club by achieving success at first go, it would be a great learning experience for the future expeditions.<\/p>\n

Read More:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Secret behind ISRO’s next Interplanetary Mission<\/a>
\nISRO: Touching space and beyond<\/a>
\nThe ISRO\/Antrix \u2013 Devas Deal<\/a>
\nSmart Eye In The Sky : The RISAT-1<\/a>
\nMars Orbiter Mission (MOM) \u2013 A Success for ISRO<\/a>
\nGSLV Test-Launch: A Baby Step Before the Giant Leap<\/a>
\nCongratulatory words pour in for Mars success<\/a>
\nNo Rewards For Mangalyaan Scientists<\/a>
\nHello! Mars, India Has Come! We\u2019re in the Orbit!<\/a>
\nIndia\u2019s quest to reach Mars \u2013 the countdown begins<\/a>
\nIndia Poised To Launch Its Indigenously Developed GSLV<\/a>
\nMangalyaan Successfully Embarks On Its Trajectory To Mars<\/a>
\nMOM : An Achievement Or A Luxury In The Name Of Space Exploration?<\/a>
\nMOM Overcomes Technical Hurdle And Back On Its Trajectory To Mars<\/a>
\nDestination Mars : The Mars Orbiter Mission 2013<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The two giant neighbors and heavyweight players in Asia have the habit of hogging the limelight, every time they are at loggerheads over bilateral issues. It\u2019s not an exaggeration to say that they get featured regularly in the spotlight section of leading dailies. They are also a personal favourite of the paparazzi. \u00a0If I am […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":707,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11315,3],"tags":[6264],"class_list":{"0":"post-13128","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-india","7":"category-politics","8":"tag-mars-orbiter-mission-of-india"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/707"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13128"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45741,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13128\/revisions\/45741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}