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India To Launch First Manned Space Mission By 2022 (hindustantimes.com)

Posted by msmash on from the up-next dept.

India will launch its first manned space mission by 2022, the country's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday, which could make it the fourth nation to do so after the United States, Russia and China. From a report: Modi congratulated Indian scientists for excelling in their research and are at the forefront of innovation. "Our scientists have made us proud. They launched over 100 satellites... They successfully completed the Mars mission." ISRO, India's space agency, successfully launched 104 satellites on 15 February 2017, of which three were Indian while the rest were foreign commercial satellites. The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also called Mangalyaan, India's first interplanetary mission was launched on November 5, 2013 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It has been orbiting Mars since September 24, 2014.

29 of 73 comments (clear)

  1. Impressive by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

    Impressive, but where are they planning on going? Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids. In fact it's cold as hell.

    1. Re:Impressive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Impressive, but where are they planning on going?

      Space travel is 10% science and 90% demonstrating that you can lob a nuke around the earth.

      But, hey, it's that 90% that pays for the science.

    2. Re:Impressive by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1

      Impressive, but where are they planning on going? Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids. In fact it's cold as hell.

      True, but it's less crowded than Mumbai.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    3. Re:Impressive by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      What's worse, is there's no one there to raise them, if you did!
      I'm saying this, and all this science I don't understand? It's just my job, five days a week.

    4. Re:Impressive by evil+crash · · Score: 2

      Impressive, but where are they planning on going? Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids. In fact it's cold as hell.

      True, but it's less crowded than Mumbai.

      For now...

      --
      "Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job."-THG
    5. Re:Impressive by Kjella · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Space travel is 10% science and 90% demonstrating that you can lob a nuke around the earth. But, hey, it's that 90% that pays for the science.

      I think you're projecting Cold War history on everyone else. India doesn't have any particular need for ICBMs, if they're going to start a shooting war with anyone it'll probably be Pakistan and they're right next door. The driving force here was probably business, providing a cheaper alternative to the US/European/Russian launch options for telecom, observation satellites and so on. It probably looked like a good idea, I mean the Proton rocket is a 50+ year old design and was up until recently pretty competitive so if India could undercut them on labor cost they could become the "budget" launch provider. Of course then SpaceX happened...

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    6. Re:Impressive by cayenne8 · · Score: 1
      First Kwik-E-Mart on the moon!!!

      Space Squishee's!!!

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    7. Re:Impressive by sycodon · · Score: 1

      If they start a shooting war with Pakistan it will likely be over the ridiculous, over the top antics at their border crossing

      --
      When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
    8. Re:Impressive by careysub · · Score: 2

      Space travel is 10% science and 90% demonstrating that you can lob a nuke around the earth. But, hey, it's that 90% that pays for the science.

      I think you're projecting Cold War history on everyone else. India doesn't have any particular need for ICBMs, if they're going to start a shooting war with anyone it'll probably be Pakistan and they're right next door.

      So why are they testing the Agni 5, with an 8,000 kilometer range?

      The answer is that they want to deter China, which they fought a war with in 1962 (China attacked them). There are also outstanding territorial disputes with China holding territory claimed by India (and held by India before being taken from them by force), and then there are India's sharp disagreements about Chinese policy in Tibet. And the general dislike most major nations have about other nations holding the threat of nuclear firepower over their heads without a way to respond.

      The assumption that India is "going to start a shooting war" is unwarranted.

      --
      Starships were meant to fly, Hands up and touch the sky - Nicky Minaj
  2. I agree by Comboman · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm sorry but doesn't America have much more urgent things to take care of such as universal health care and drinkable public water in Flint rather than space exploration (sorry, I mean "Space Force").

    --
    Support Right To Repair Legislation.
    1. Re:I agree by 110010001000 · · Score: 2

      It definitely does, but rich people like to play with rockets instead of solving real problems.

    2. Re:I agree by Type44Q · · Score: 1

      I'm sorry but doesn't America have much more urgent things to take care of such as universal health care and drinkable public water in Flint rather than space exploration (sorry, I mean "Space Force").

      Literal answer? "Not necessarily."

    3. Re:I agree by Areyoukiddingme · · Score: 1

      It definitely does, but rich people like to play with rockets instead of solving real problems.

      If Elon Musk solved Flint's water problems, you'd accuse him of grandstanding.

    4. Re:I agree by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I'm sorry but doesn't America have much more urgent things to take care of such as universal health care and drinkable public water in Flint rather than space exploration (sorry, I mean "Space Force").

      Well...

      Universal Healthcare is not strictly a Federal issue, what with the whole Constitution thing specifying that anything not specifically allowed to the Feds is a State matter. On the other hand, FDR pretty much threw that Constitutional issue out the window back in the 1930's, and got the Supremes of the day to go along with it by threatening to just add more Justices till he had the required majority. So I could go either way on it.

      Water in Flint Michigan? Nope, not a Federal issue. You can't even use the Interstate Commerce clause to cover that, since it's purely a local matter. So talk to the government of Michigan if you want that dealt with.

      All that aside, the Constitution does seem to give the Federal government the Power to do military things. Like this Space Force (warning: I've ignored all the news about the Space Force, but it looks like the sort of interservice rivalry that led to the Key West Accords).

      So, while Universal Healthcare might be more important than the Space Force, the Space Force is something that can pass Constitutional muster easier than Universal Healthcare.

      And what any of this has to do with India wanting to put men in space, I can't imagine.

      As to India putting men in space, I am thinking that four years is too short a timeline, unless they're trying for something comparable to Mercury or Vostok. Which would be a waste of time and money. Stretch the timeline to ten years, and they can probably get their own space program going in a respectable sort of way....

      --

      "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
    5. Re:I agree by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      India has a space program and succesfull launches since decades ....

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    6. Re:I agree by joe_frisch · · Score: 1

      If people always concentrated on solving the most immediate problems rather than looking toward the future, we'd still be chipping flints in central Africa.

  3. and I think its gonna be a long long time by rossdee · · Score: 1

    >Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids. In fact it's cold as hell.

    And theres no one there to raise them, if you did

  4. By 2022? Never Gonna Happen... by Tempest_2084 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Has no one ever dealt with the Indian government before? There's way too much corruption to make this a realistic goal by 2022. Will they eventually get into space? Sure, but it's going to take longer then four years. It will take that long just to grease the proper palms to get the paperwork approved much less build anything.

    1. Re:By 2022? Never Gonna Happen... by froggyjojodaddy · · Score: 1

      I wish you had posted under an account instead of AC. Because you are 100% spot on!

  5. Oh dear lord not this again by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 2

    They are working on both. And their space budget is a tiny fraction of the budget for rural development.

    --
    If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    1. Re:Oh dear lord not this again by Only+Time+Will+Tell · · Score: 1

      They are working on both. And their space budget is a tiny fraction of the budget for rural development.

      And this minor investment in space could pay big dividends in the future for the country as ancillary companies pop up to support space missions (engineering firms, manufacturing and testing companies, etc.). NASA's adventures spawned a whole industry around the Gulf Coast to support the rockets and space missions, employing hundreds of thousands with good salaries. Further, India could receive new revenue from companies and countries who want to piggy-back on their missions.

  6. Re:More important matters by Type44Q · · Score: 1, Insightful
    If they want to end up a Chinese vassal-state like Tibet or Xinjiang, sure. If not, they'd best keep up.

    Wouldn't hurt you to keep up, either. ;)

  7. Re:Tata (no, not those, you dirty minded /.-er). by Strider- · · Score: 1

    This isn't too unreasonable. The SpaceX Falcon 9 uses cork as part of the thermal protection system to protect the boosters as they re-enter. Going further, Engineered wood is often a very good structural material, and used properly isn't a terrible idea.

    --
    ...si hoc legere nimium eruditionis habes...
  8. Re:Tata (no, not those, you dirty minded /.-er). by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

    Thanks, Buzzkill Lightyear.

  9. There is one like this in every thread by mrops · · Score: 1

    shortsighted

  10. Yes. And It Doesn't Matter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Everyone always has "more pressing things" to deal with. Always. And it doesn't matter.

    This is the fallacy of, "we could redirect that money to Worthwhile Cause X". Except, even if you did stop the space exploration, the money usually won't get redirected to Worthwhile Cause X.

    Here's the issue. Space exploration is a strategic issue. One that will pay off (or not, but it probably will pay off) in decades to centuries. Strategic issues can always be put on the back burner to deal with tactical issues. As long as you don't do so for decades to centuries, you probably won't even pay a big price for doing so. However if you NEVER invest in strategic development, it will become your biggest problem in the fullness of time.

    Really, do you think that the King and Queen of Spain didn't have "more pressing matters" than funding Columbus? Of course they did. And we should be grateful that instead of being single issue rulers, or tactically obsessed monarchs, they decided to fund Columbus.

    One has to ask, what is the opportunity cost of not funding space exploration? And it's also fair to ask, what is the opportunity cost of not funding universal health care? Governing is exactly about making decisions like this.

    But in the real world, if you de-fund NASA, you don't automatically get universal health care. If fact you typically get either more government corruption, or a Space Force, or a crony-driven tax cut that benefits the 1% with 99% of the tax cut money.

  11. Re:More important matters by MerlTurkin · · Score: 1

    And all the train suicides.

  12. Re:Tata (no, not those, you dirty minded /.-er). by careysub · · Score: 1

    I'm kinda wondering, considering how Indian cars and trucks are made, if wood will be one of the construction materials in their space vehicles?

    The nose fairing of the Trident II D5 SLBM, the United States most powerful ballistic missile, uses Sitka spruce.

    So if India knows what it is doing, it very well may.

    --
    Starships were meant to fly, Hands up and touch the sky - Nicky Minaj
  13. Hope they succeed - the US may need it by joe_frisch · · Score: 1

    I hope they succeed, I'm always happy to see progress in space technology.

    Unless the US gets its act together, we will need other countries to launch our astronauts. India sounds like a better bet than Russia or China. I'd love to see us get our own launch capability back, but its been a while. (Yes, I know the various efforts under way but I'm still waiting to see it actually happen).