India joins elite group with its lunar mission

India readied its first lunar mission last night, seeking to convert its new wealth into political and military clout and join an elite group of nations with the scientific know-how to reach space.

In the last year Asian nations have taken the lead in exploring the moon: Japan and China both sent up spacecraft last year, and India’s Chandrayaan-1 will join them in orbit around the moon for a two-year mission designed to map the lunar surface. Chandrayaan means “moon Craft” in ancient Sanskrit.

The moon mission comes just months after a deal with the US that recognises India as a nuclear power.

“It is a remarkable technological achievement for the country,” said S Satish of the Indian Space Research Organisation, which plans to launch the 3,080 pound (1400kgs) satellite from the Sriharikota space centre.

To date only the US, Russia, the European Space Agency, Japan and China have sent missions to the moon. The US is the only nation to have landed a man on the lunar surface, doing so for the first time in 1969.

In 2003, China became the first Asian country to put its own astronauts into space and last month had its first spacewalk.

The head of India’s space agency believes it can quickly catch China, its rival for Asian leadership.

“Compared to China, we are better off in many areas,” Indian Space Research Organization chairman Madhavan Nair said.

India lags only because it has chosen not to focus on the more expensive manned space missions, he said. “But given the funds we can easily catch up with our neighbour in this area.”

Among the goals of the $80 (€61m) mission are mapping the moon, scanning for mineral deposits under the surface and testing systems for a future landing, said India’s space agency.