India's Going to the Moon
India is all set to send a robotic rover to rumble around the south pole of the moon, a huge leap forward for its space program. The rocket launches at 2:51 a.m. Monday and the anticipation is stoking national pride.
A moon mission is a bold move for any country, but especially for one that has hundreds of millions of people still stuck in poverty. A big reason Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who won a thumping re-election in May, is so popular is that he has been pushing a brawnier, more assertive India, hungry to claim its place as a superpower.
Just weeks before the election began— and commentators found the timing a little suspicious — Mr. Modi announced that India had just shot down a satellite whizzing 17,000 miles per hour 150 miles above Earth. Few countries can do that.
Many Indians feel this mission, which will unfold more than 200,000 miles away, is a turning point in their country’s history. They use almost the exact same words to describe Chandrayaan’s importance: “We will now be the fourth space power!” They follow after the United States, Russia and China.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/indias-going-to-the-moon-and-the-country-is-pumped/ar-AAEj0U6