A manned spacecraft will be launched in 2022, and the construction of a space station will begin in 2030. Recently, India officially announced two big plans in one go, once again showing its space ambitions.
Whenever India has a new move in the field of space, India will fall into a national carnival. "In the next few years, the Indian space station will catch up with China!" This time, the self-confidence of the Indian media was once again ignited.
Catching up with China, what kind of ambitions do they want to achieve in the vast starry sky?
Text | Deep sea swimming
This article is reproduced from the weChat Xinmin Evening News affiliated with the public account "Deep Sea Area" (ID: xmshenhaiqu), the original text was first published on January 19, 2022, the original title is "India announces the construction of a space station in 2030, the Indian media shows strong confidence in "catching up with China"" and does not represent the view of the Lookout think tank.
1 India announces a large space program
"India's first space station will be completed in 2030, and India's manned space program Gaganyan will be implemented this year."
On the 17th, India's Minister of Atomic Energy and Space Development, Jitendra Singh, brought two big news to Indians.
India plans to launch the manned space program Gaganyan this year. Source: THE NATIONAL
Weighing about 20 tons and operating in an orbit 400 kilometers from Earth, astronauts can stay inside the space station for 15 to 20 days ... In fact, as early as two years ago, K. Shivan, head of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), described the idea of the space station.
In this year's New Year's message, Sylvan reiterated the plan again, saying: "In the past 2021, ISRO has carried out various technology research and development activities to prepare for space activities in the next decade".
If there is still a long way to go to create a space station, then the "Gaganjan" manned spaceflight program can be said to be close at hand.
Shivon said that "Gaganyan" has now completed the design and entered the testing phase. According to the US Business Insider Network, in the second half of 2022, "Gaganyan" will carry out two unmanned space missions. After that, three Indian Air Force officers will enter the spacecraft for space training.
As India's first manned spaceflight program, Kaganyan is regarded as a landmark feat by Indians. Because if it succeeds, India will become the fourth country to master manned space technology after the United States, Russia and China.
Heevan also stressed that "Gaganyan" is the top priority of the Indian government at present, because only when "Gaganyan" is carried out smoothly, the space station can "have a play".
2 Has been catching up with China at a rapid pace
Postponement of dates, "premature death" of tasks... Although India has had several accidents on the road of "chasing dreams" before, the Indian media has still shown explosive confidence this time.
"From nuclear tests to lunar probes to anti-satellite tests, India has been catching up with China at a rapid pace." Nitin Tiku, editor-in-chief of India's Eurasian Times, believes that this historical law suggests that India can have its own space station in 2030.
Emirati media outlet The National said that the Indian government's commitment in the space field has gained popular sentiment, "which is considered to be fully in line with India's level of economic development and its position in the world order".
This optimism has also been transmitted to social platforms. On Twitter, someone said they were "proud of Modi," someone called for "Made in India," and others expressed their blessings to ISRO's manned space program.
Whenever India has a new move in the field of space, it can always trigger a carnival of Indian netizens. Image source: twitter
But in addition to fanaticism, there is no shortage of calm thinking and critical voices.
Many netizens admit that although they are loyal fans of India's amazing achievements, for developing countries like India, the government should spend more on infrastructure such as sanitation and water supply, as well as on health care, education, and employment.
Some Indian netizens believe that the Indian government should use the funds where they are more needed. Image source: twitter
The Washington Post commented that it was a "luxury indulgence" for a country where a third of the population did not yet have access to electricity.
In fact, since Modi became prime minister, this negative evaluation has flowed from time to time. In 2014, the BBC criticized India for not spending too much money on space programs while many people were still below the poverty line.
3 Reluctance to be seen as an emerging force
From a certain point of view, China has become one of the driving forces for India's development of space. But behind the Indians' vision of space, there seems to be more psychology and consideration.
Some analysts believe that India's development of space is because the government's investment in science and technology will bring about the overall development of society. In the view of Vikram Sarabay, known as the father of India's spaceflight, "India needs advanced space technology to play an active role in the national and international community." ”
In 2019, when India's Chandrayaan-2 mission failed, CNN observed that even after twists and turns, space can still ignite the country's national pride and become a bond of unity.
In September 2014, Indian elementary school students celebrated India's successful launch of the spacecraft into orbit on Mars. Source: The Washington Post
At the time, someone tweeted that space careers were on par with India's national sport cricket, saying that "even the Football World Cup does not have such capabilities."
More than once, Modi has said in public that the success of the space program is a symbol of a nation's capabilities. The National noted that manned spaceflight shows a country's place in the global power structure, and India wants to be a member of the "elite club" that "does not want to be seen as an emerging power, but as a rising power."
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Indian Media: According to the laws of history, China can, we can too!
According to the Indian media "Eurasia Times" reported on January 17, recently, India's Minister of Atomic Energy and Space Development, Jitendra Singh, announced in parliament that India's first space station will be completed in 2030, while the long-awaited Indian manned space program "Gaganyaan" will be launched this year. Indian media optimistically pointed out that according to the law of history, as China may become the only country in the world with a space station in 2024 (2030 at the latest), its neighbor India will also catch up in the next few years.
This article is reproduced from the WeChat public account "Global Times" (ID: hqsbwx), the original article was first published on January 19, 2022, the original title is "Indian Media: According to the laws of history, China can, we can too!" , does not represent the view of the Lookout Think Tank.
Earlier in 2019, K Sivan, CEO of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), first introduced the features of the planned Indian space station. According to Sivan, the space station could weigh up to 20 tons and be arranged in an orbit 400 kilometers above Earth, where astronauts could stay for 15-20 days. Sivan said at the time that construction of the space station would begin 5 to 7 years after the implementation of the Gaganyan program.
Indian media pointed out that the Indian Space Research Organization mentioned in the 2022 New Year's message published on its website that there is a view that in 2021, almost nothing will happen to NASA in the United States - "mainly because of the reduction in the number of NASA launches." However, CEO K Sivan noted that during this "hiatus", the Indian Space Research Organization has launched various technological development programs and prepared for space activities over the next decade.
However, Indian media also pointed out that Sivan has also stressed that the Indian government has approved space sector reforms to expand the presence of its space industry in India and even the world. He also noted that some policies in India's space sector are also being adjusted in response to reforms, so while the space station is the most ambitious project in ISRO's program, it will take some time before launch.
At the end of the report, Nitin J. Ticku, defense analyst and editor-in-chief of Eurasian Times, wrote: "If you look at the historical records of China and India together, you will have a clearer understanding of India's space station [the development process], which is also a fair idea." From nuclear tests to anti-satellite tests, India has been catching up with China very quickly. ”
Along the lines, Nitin writes: "China's first nuclear test was in 1964, And India's was in 1974 — a little more than 10 years to catch up; China launched its first lunar mission, Chang'e-1, in 2007, India launched Chandrayaan-1 in 2008; China conducted its first anti-satellite mission in 2007, followed by India in 2019." So ideally, now that the Asian giant (China) has launched its own space station, history suggests that India could have its own space station by 2030, as ISRO announced. This is the law we are seeing. ”
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