India Launches First Solar Mission Days After Historic Moon Landing

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Sep 03, 2023

Image copyright: Indian Space Research Organizationstory last updated Sep 04, 2023

The Facts

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on Saturday launched its first solar mission — the indigenously developed Aditya-L1 — carrying seven scientific payloads to systematically observe the outer layers of the sun and study solar winds.
On Sunday, India's space agency announced that the satellite was in a good condition and "operating nominally" after successfully performing its first Earth-bound maneuver to attain a new orbit of 245 km by 22,459 km. The second maneuver is scheduled for Sept. 5, at around 3AM.

The Spin

Narrative A

These latest successful developments are strong indications that India is on its way to overtake Russia as a space power, especially after the Luna-25 mission became yet another Russian exploration mission to end in failure. Its rising space program is now set to compete with the US and China to produce space technology, representing — along with Beijing — advancement in the global south.

Quartz

Narrative B

These achievements indeed indicate that India's space industry can produce advanced systems at a reasonable cost, but that alone will not make the country an advanced industrial nation, as has been touted by the government. If India really wants to become an industrial power, then it must reduce tariffs and non-tariff barriers, as well as develop its transport infrastructure.